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COMMITTED TO CHEMISTRY<o:p></o:p>I was born in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1898.&nbsp; As a boy, I loved chemistry. But my headmaster told my father there wasn’t any real demand for chemists in Australia. So I decided to begin a medical degree at the University of Adelaide. <o:p></o:p>I was a hard worker and won prizes in most of my subjects. In 1921, I graduated top of my class and was awarded a scholarship to study at Oxford University.<o:p></o:p>I then won another scholarship and studied in the United States for ten months. I committed myself to pathology studies and chemistry. Finally, I was doing the work I had always longed to do. <o:p></o:p>A MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH<o:p></o:p>In 1935, I became the director of the Pathology School at Oxford University. It was there I met fellow scientist, Ernst Chain. Chain and I did not always agree. But he had studied lysosomes, a micro bacteria killer, and I knew we had to work together as a team.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fb0e97ba88e964c78b45a4cf2bf65bfc7" alt="" style="width: 25%;"> <o:p></o:p>It was well known that Alexander Fleming had discovered the drug penicillin, but there was still so much work to be done to get it ready for human use. Medicine can take years to produce and make safe for human consumption. <o:p></o:p>In March 1940, my team were ready to test the penicillin concentrate on mice. They got better - we were delighted with our result. We knew that penicillin would benefit everyone and change the future of medicine. <o:p></o:p>Testing the drug on mice was, of course, different to testing penicillin on humans. We were grateful to our early patients who allowed us to test our work while we were still trying to manufacture enough penicillin.<o:p></o:p>We were able to help 15-year-old Arthur Jones. Arthur was dying from a septic infection after a hip operation. His temperature had been dangerously high for over two weeks. Within two days of receiving penicillin, his temperature receded, and he made a full recovery. <o:p></o:p>A GIFT TO THE WORLD<o:p></o:p>Chain wanted to patent the drug penicillin. I disagreed. I did not like this kind of commercial agreement on a discovery from which the world could benefit. It seemed wrong to profit from our science.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fb8ff59e68f7c4334bb17ddb0140359b6" alt="">In 1945, Chain, Fleming and myself shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine. I continued researching at Oxford University, where in 1954 we developed an antibiotic that acted against a wide range of disease-causing bacteria.In 1958, I was elected president of the Royal Society and went on to become the chancellor of the Australian National University. Many honours followed, including the French Legion d’honneur, a knighthood and a barony. The United States awarded me with a Medal of Merit. <o:p></o:p>My decision not to register patents for penicillin meant other people profited. But for me it was never about making money.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fd2092b4577dc49de9f35846f6d0ec42f" alt="" style="width: 238.393px; height: 337.156px;"> We were fortunate to discover a life-saving drug that enabled us to fight the perpetual enemy, bacteria. We were fortunate to have made an enormous difference to people’s lives through our life’s work. GLOSSARYScholarship – money given to students to help pay for their education. <o:p></o:p>Pathology – the study of the way diseases and illnesses develop.<o:p></o:p>Lysosomes – enzymes that cause the destruction of the cell walls of certain bacteria.<o:p></o:p>Septic – when bacteria enters the bloodstream, also known as blood poisoning. <o:p></o:p>LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>It is thanks to Howard Florey and his team, that penicillin is saving millions of lives every day and has totally revolutionised medical science.</li><li>His pioneering efforts to mass produce penicillin brought relief to thousands of wounded soldiers during World War II.</li><li>Howard Florey was the first Australian to be elected to the prestigious position of president of the Royal Society (the world’s oldest independent scientific academy). He has also been awarded honorary degrees by 17 universities and is a member or honorary member of many societies and academies in the fields of medicine and biology.</li><li>The Australian 50-dollar note bore Howard Florey’s image for 22 years (1973-1995), and a memorial stone of white South Australian marble bearing his name, was unveiled in Westminster Abbey in 1981.</li></ul>IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITSHoward Florey with other scientists at Oxford University, Science Museum Group, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsHoward Florey’s photo on an Australian $50 note, Australian Reserve Bank, Public Domain<o:p></o:p>Howard Florey&nbsp;(1945), Nobel Foundation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<div> </div>

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