On the benefits of mud: great discoveries made by accident
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The extraordinary and often not encouraged by society behavior of scientists has led to great discoveries more than once. Including in medicine.
In Scotland there lived and was a bacteriologist Alexander Fleming, who was known as an extremely sloppy person. His office was the epitome of creative chaos, jumbled together with food, chemicals, and tools. Petri dishes, which everyone knows about since the days of chemistry lessons, were rarely washed, although the scientist used them to cultivate bacteria. And ironically, it was Fleming’s inaccuracy that led to the fact that he made two important discoveries that became a genuine revolution in medicine.
In 1922, Fleming caught a cold and without hesitation blew his nose into a Petri dish where the bacterial culture of Micrococcus lysodeicticus grew. After some time, he stumbled upon a cup and was surprised to find that the microbes in it had died. This is how, as a result, the discovery of lysozyme, a completely new substance that had antibacterial properties, occurred.
And six years later, when Fleming returned home after a month’s absence, in his neglected laboratory, he discovered mold on one of the plates with staphylococcus cultures. The scientist was, though not accurate, but very observant and thoughtful. Having examined the mold meticulously, he fixed the presence of a fungus of the species Penicillium notatum on the plate. There were no more microbes. The scientist rightly suggested that the mold produces a substance that can kill bacteria. Six months of research gave him the opportunity to isolate this very substance. He named it penicillin. This is how the era of antibiotics began.
It turned out that penicillin can cure many diseases, including pneumonia and even tuberculosis. During the Second World War, this medicine saved about two hundred million lives. Fleming himself was awarded the Nobel Prize in the year the war ended.
This is how carelessness and forgetfulness can save humanity. Of course, if only it is inherent in genius.
Elena Bulova.
Drawing by Maxim Dolzhansky
Message On the benefits of mud: great discoveries made by accident first appeared on Moscow truth.
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