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Alexander Fleming was born in 1881 and he had 7 siblings his dad Hugh was a farmer, who had 4 kids from his first marriage and 4 more from his second Alex's elder brother Tom was already a physician and so he followed in his footsteps https://t.co/KkzKG3Ur5k https://t.co/zGUs72J2Op
he died of quinsy – first i'm hearing of this, it's peritonsillar abcess... basically a bad mouth infection. yikes. for all his wealth, he didn't have access to antibiotics. these days you don't even need hospital admission for this. you just need Alexander Fleming, born 1881 https://t.co/S1J9CFqppL
In 1903 (aged 22?) he enrolled at St Mary's Hopsital Medical School. He joined the research department, became assistant bacteriologist to Sir Almroth Wright (what a name) WW1 hit in 1914, and Fleming served in battlefield hospitals at the Western Front, like this https://t.co/YQUKUzgA49
a decade before he discovered penicillin, which would be hailed as "the single greatest victory ever achieved over disease", Fleming figured out that you ought to clean your fucking wounds. As always, some guy being right about things is insufficient to persuade the establishment https://t.co/dGLy7j9n5a
wounded ww1 soldier: doctor help me im dying from this infected wound doctor: ok here's some antiseptic soldier: oh thank god, will this help? doctor: fuck no. in fact it'll kill you even faster soldier: oh god why doctor: shut up i am a doctor https://t.co/SJjAD4HCve
Research scholar V.D. Allison: bro u are so untidy, this is very unprofessional Alex Fleming: fuk u man i'm about to deliver the greatest blow to disease in human history V.D. Allison: ... shit, u right https://t.co/3u363aLdWF
now reading V.D. Allison's recollections of Wright and Fleming. Apparently George Bernard Shaw would visit the lab and they'd discuss philosophy over tea Such relationships and connections are so underrepresented in mythologized stories of genius https://t.co/RfY68iGquz https://t.co/HT9lOAFwyK
"Sir Almroth Wright was Sir Almost Wrong!" – George Bernard Shaw, philosopher, playwright, and deliverer of sick burns https://t.co/s7PydBdNa5
"This is interesting." – Alexander Fleming, looking at his snot in a petri dish, before personally punching Pestilence in the dick for all mankind https://t.co/A5XIYWDmRs
Fleming, presenting his findings to 50 of the most outstanding workers in medical research: I present to you the greatest advance in medical science in human history. any questions? the research establishment: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ nah. https://t.co/zpAPUpN5fU
there was a moment in WW2 where penicillin was like, a strategic resource – and this was I think still before the medical establishment had properly come around to understanding its value? it's unclear later on a couple of Americans wanted to patent it and Fleming said fuck off https://t.co/UbCJOZy0IT
Allison describes Fleming as having a phenomenal memory, keen and expressive eyes, taciturn and laconic, a good listener, quick to grasp the essentials... excellent hosts, entertained much... watercolor painter... keen and expert photographer, vigorous game of billards... https://t.co/Vezi4mnyY5
it took over a decade after Fleming's discovery of penicillin for Howard Florey to develop antibiotics. And he had to scrounge for donations to do it https://t.co/NTCyOFbM34