††Penicillin, the first antibiotic, was first discovered by Britain's Alexander Fleming in 1928. His studies on mucus, tears and saliva showed that they contained substances that killed bacteria, so he began looking for other substances which could do the same. During the course of his investigations he accidentally discovered that a common mould called penicillium could also kill bacteria.
With the help of two other scientists, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, the idea was taken further. In 1945 all three shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine, after the new substance was made into a usable antibiotic drug.
