Book Review
The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat
By ERIC LAX Reviewed by PEGGY BARNETT
This book is sub-titled "The Story of the Penicillin Miracle." Most of us think that we know that story, but we may be surprised by what Eric Lax discusses in this book.

Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin almost by accident in 1928 during research on something else. Then why were not lives saved immediately? The story of the development of penicillin as a "miracle" drug and the struggle over credit for that development makes a fascinating tale.

One factor that makes it fascinating is Lax's description of the people (mostly men) involved in this challenging and often discouraging work. For those of us who are not really "savvy" about science, stories about people keep us interested.

Dr. Howard Florey led a team of scientists at Oxford University as they sought to isolate and test the efficacyof the substance discovered by Fleming. Fleming had worked on treating and preventing infection from wounds during World War I. He did important research on antiseptics, and when hew as unable to isolate the antibiotic substance in penicillin mold, moved on to research with sulfa drugs.

It took 12 years and another war before the Oxford team was able to accomplish that task. The names that should be remembered and seldom are, in addition to Florey, are Ernst Chain (a Jewish refugee from Germany) and Norman Heatley. Chain was brilliant and temperamental and fell out with Florey before they were through. Heatley was a careful and consistent worker, whose manual skills and ingenuity were critical to the success.

Florey's longest research project was the search for money. Although World War II increased the need for medicine to fight infection, it also created greater demand for funds for defense. Ironically, though penicillin was discovered and developed in England, it was United States companies who eventually profitedfrom it.

Florey brought samples of penicillin to the U.S. in a dramatic flight across the Atlantic during the war, and it was here that a method of extracting the antibiotic efficiently and rapidly was developed. Production increased to the point that penicillin, from just a few doses became available for all the Allied soldiers.

Florey, Chain, and Fleming eventually shared a Nobel Prize, but none made any money from their achievements. And that title? In 1940, as the scientists were worried about German invasion of England (a real possibility), Heatley suggested that they each rub spores of the mold into the fabric of their coats. If their work had to be destroyed to keep it out of the hands of the enemy, those who managed to get to safety could carry on the experiments.

The Mold in Dr. Florey's Coat, is a gift of the Friends of the Library and is available at the Mary Willis Library.

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