I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Happy Birthday, Penicillin

It was on this day in 1928 that Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming peered into a petri dish at his basement laboratory in London and noticed a blue-green mold growing. The mold, he observed, was killing the staph bacteria he'd been cultivating in that petri dish. He called the mold "penicillin." (from The Writers Almanac)

5 comments:

Matt Hughes said...

As a person who is allergic to Penicillin, I shall not be wishing it happy birthday. It's mold, people! Mold!

(yes, I may have issues)

Steve Buchheit said...

Hey Matt, I'm also allergic. Love that when I tell healthcare workers they all look at me like I had crows flying out of my ears. It's not like it isn't a common allergy.

Eric said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Eric said...

I, too, am allergic, but I'm happy to wish penicillin a happy birthday since it can be used to treat non-allergic people before they can infect me or gross me out!

Also, cheese is made with mold, and I like cheese--so let's hear it for friendly mold!

Steve Buchheit said...

Eric, many fine things are made of mold or some other biological process of decay. Alaskan politics for example.