An Interactive Annotated World Bibliography of Printed and Digital Works in the History of Medicine and the Life Sciences from Circa 2000 BCE to 2022 by Fielding H. Garrison (1870-1935), Leslie T. Morton (1907-2004), and Jeremy M. Norman (1945- ) Traditionally Known as “Garrison-Morton”

15961 entries, 13944 authors and 1935 subjects. Updated: March 22, 2024

FLEMING, Sir Alexander

6 entries
  • 1910.1

On a remarkable bacteriolytic element found in secretions and tissues.

Proc. roy. Soc. B., 93, 306-17, 1922.

Lysozyme, an antimicrobial enzyme that is a component of secretions such as tears and saliva.

Digital facsimile from royalsocietypublishing.org at this link



Subjects: BACTERIOLOGY, DENTISTRY › Dental Anatomy & Physiology, PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antibiotics, PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antiviral Drugs
  • 1933

On the antibacterial action of cultures of a penicillium, with special reference to their use in the isolation of B. influenzae.

Brit. J. exp. Path., 10, 226-36, 1929.

Discovery of the growth-inhibiting action of Penicillium on certain bacteria. Nobel Prize (with Florey and Chain) 1945. 



Subjects: Mycology, Medical, PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antibiotics, PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antibiotics › Penicillin
  • 10784

On the specific antibacterial properties of penicillin and potassium tellurite. Incorporating a method of demonstrating some bacterial antagonisms.

J. Path. Bact., 35, 831-842, 1932.

In this paper Fleming first described the use of penicillin as an antibacterial agent in man, and reported on experiments using it as a wound dressing for septic wounds. He also corrected the species name from Penicillium rubrum (1929) to Penicillium notatum.

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)



Subjects: BACTERIOLOGY, PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antibiotics › Penicillin, SURGERY: General › Wound Healing
  • 12598

Micro-methods of estimating penicillin blood serum and other bodily fluids.

Lancet, 244, 620-621, 1944.

Fleming was the first to measure blood levels of penicillin after intramuscular, intradermal, inravenous and continuous drip administration in order to determine the correct dosage. He described his micro-measurement methods in this paper.

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)



Subjects: PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antibiotics › Penicillin
  • 12599

Penicillin content of blood serum after various doses of penicillin by various routes.

Lancet, 244, 621-624, 1944.

In this paper Fleming and colleagues explained how to choose routes of administration of penicillin as well as dosage, and reproduced the graphs/figures that showed blood levels achieved with different doses and routes of administration.
Fleming was the first to use Procaine mixed with penicillin in order to alleviate the tremendous intramuscular pain of the injections. He showed that the anesthetic did not affect the bacterial killing power of the antibiotic. With M. Y. Young, A. J. E. Rowe.

(Thanks to Juan Weiss for this reference and its interpretation.)



Subjects: ANESTHESIA, PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antibiotics › Penicillin
  • 12623

Penicillin: Its practical application. Edited by Sir Alexander Fleming.

London: Butterworths, 1946.

This was the only book that Fleming ever published on penicillin. American issue, Philadelphia: Blakiston, 1946.



Subjects: PHARMACOLOGY › PHARMACEUTICALS › Antibiotics › Penicillin