Discovery of Penicillin: A Cinematic Moment in Medical History – AI Generated Video | Hailuo AI

Generate & Play Hailuo AI video：Before 1928, bacterial infections were one of the leading causes of death in the world. Surgeries, war wounds, and even small cuts could evolve into fatal septicemias, and there were no effective treatments. It was in this context that an accidental discovery would change the course of science and pharmacy forever. On September 28, 1928, at St. Mary's Hospital in London, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming noticed something curious: one of his staphylococcus culture plates had been contaminated by mold, and around this mold, there was no bacterial growth. He identified the fungus as belonging to the genus *Penicillium* and named the substance it released penicillin. Fleming even foresaw the therapeutic potential of this substance, but with the technical limitations of the time, he could not purify it or produce it on a large scale. The study was archived for many years. It was only at the end of the 1930s that two researchers from the University of Oxford, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, resumed Fleming's studies. They managed to purify penicillin and confirmed its effectiveness in animal tests. In 1941, the first clinical use of penicillin took place: British police officer Albert Alexander was treated after suffering a severe infection, with promising initial results. That same year, with World War II underway, the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States realized the potential of penicillin to save the lives of soldiers injured on the battlefield. With the support of major pharmaceutical companies, such as Pfizer, industrial fermentation processes were developed to produce penicillin in large quantities. This advancement led to the cure of thousands of soldiers during the war.