Howard Walter, Baron Florey. Although one of the Scientists that discovered the method of making Penicillin during WW2 and saving many millions of lives from then until now, had a very interesting first in his life that is not well known. [SIZE=+2] Howard Florey [/SIZE] 1898 * 1968 Microbiologist/Immunologist The man responsible for developing penicillin is one of Australia¹s most famous scientists. Less known is his participation in the first Arctic expedition to use an aeroplane. When this also became the first expedition to have a plane crash Florey used his medical training to patch up the wounds of the pilot and team leader. Born in Adelaide, where he completed his medical degree, Florey spent almost his entire research career in Britain. He had a very direct manner which earned him many enemies but his ability to investigate nature with clear and unambiguous experiments won him great respect. In the 1930s Florey studied anti-bacterial chemicals produced by fungi, including penicillin. In 1941 penicillin was first tried on nine human patients with impressive results. The use of penicillin was vital for the allied war effort. His work in taking Alexander Fleming¹s fortuitous observation, to produce a drug with demonstrated antibiotic effectiveness against a range of untreatable and deadly infections, won him the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine (with Fleming and Chaim) in 1943. He was elected the first Australian President of the Royal Society of London in 1860 where he was known as 'the Bushranger President' and was made Lord Florey of Adelaide in 1965. A founding father of the John Curtin School of Medical Research, he was made Chancellor of the ANU in 1964 and served two terms in that position. Florey died from a heart attack in 1968.
Howard Walter Florey, Baron Florey of Adelaide and Marston, OM, FRS, (September 24, 1898 – February 21, 1968) was a pharmacologist who shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Ernst Boris Chain and Sir Alexander Fleming for his role in the extraction of penicillin. Lord Florey OM FRS Born in Adelaide, South Australia, Florey was a brilliant student (and junior sportsman) who studied medicine at the University of Adelaide from 1917 to 1921. At the university he met Ethel Reed, another medical student who was to become both his wife and his research colleague. A Rhodes Scholar, he continued his studies at the Queen's College, Oxford. The Queen's College has an accommodation annexe for undergraduate students, an interesting example of 1960s British architecture, named The Florey Building in memory of Florey's achievements. It was built during his term as Provost of the College. After periods in the United States and at the University of Cambridge, he returned to Oxford, becoming a Fellow of Lincoln College and leading a team of researchers. In 1938, working with Ernst Boris Chain and Norman Heatley, he read Alexander Fleming's paper discussing the antibacterial effects of Penicillium notatum mould. His research team investigated the large-scale production of the mould and efficient extraction of the active ingredient, succeeding to the point where, by 1945, penicillin production was an industrial process for the Allies in World War II. Having been knighted in 1944, Florey was made a life peer in 1965 as Baron Florey, of Adelaide and Marston. This was a higher honour than the knighthood awarded to penicillin's discoverer, Sir Alexander Fleming, and recognised the monumental work Florey did in making penicillin available in sufficient quantities to save millions of lives in the war, despite the doubts of Fleming that this was feasible. Lord Florey was elected president of the Royal Society in 1959. After the death of Ethel, he married his long-time colleague and research assistant Dr. Margaret Jennings in 1967. Florey was Chancellor of The Australian National University 1965-68. He died of a heart attack in 1968. Florey is regarded by the Australian scientific and medical community as probably its greatest scientist. Sir Robert Menzies, Australia's longest-serving Prime Minister, said that 'in terms of world well-being, Florey was the most important man ever born in Australia'. Florey's portrait appeared on the Australian $50 note for many years, and a suburb in the national capital Canberra is named after him. A building in the University of Melbourne and the largest lecture theatre in the University of Adelaide's medical school are also named after him. In 2004, he was selected the Greatest Australian in a TV special.
Some more here: http://ww2chat.com/forums/news-articles/2585-mass-production-penicillin-honoured.html http://ww2chat.com/forums/general-topics/505-percival-landon-bazeley-mb-bs-cbe-obe.html
Nothing yet, Annie, but I've been looking for Antarctica instead as it rings a bell about the aeroplane. Probably misguided but... This is brilliant: Howard Florey, the story (Catalyst, ABC TV Science)
I reckon that Sir MAcFarlane Burnett would come very very close to topping Florey as Australia's greatest scientist. He was "THE" man sent by the UN to investigate germ warfare claims in the Korean War, this was nothing compared to the rest of his career, he just came along a decade too late to get in on the creation of penicillin. He also spent most of his time working in OZ but was extremly well known and regarded by all and sundry in the world of science as being brilliant esp in the field of germs etc during the 1950/60's.
Percival Landon Bazeley was the reason Penicillin was available to New Guinea troops etc by Christmas 1943, The CSIRO through Bazeley (A Veterinarian) made enough Penicillin in Australia to supply all of the allied troops throughout the South Pacific. Australia was also the first country where there was enough of the wonder drug to supply the whole civilian population as well by Wars end.
