Penicillin: "The Wonder Drug"
  • Home
  • Discovery
    • Alexander Fleming
    • The Oxford Scientists
  • Mass Production
    • Peoria Research Lab
    • Pfizer
  • Effects of Penicillin
    • World War II
    • Life Saver
    • Medicine After Penicillin
  • Conclusion
  • Research
    • Process Paper
    • Biblography

Pfizer

The pharmaceutical company in Peoria, Illinois mass produced penicillin in the 1940s.
Howard 
Florey visited several companies producing drugs and chemicals
, trying to convince them to produce penicillin. Some companies were conducting research on penicillin, but none developed information needed for commercial production.

Picture
http://logos.wikia.com/ 1900s Pfizer Logo
John Davenport and Gordon Cragwell offered the Peoria, Illinois pharmaceutical company, Pfizer’s assistance after hearing about penicillin's potential. They began with fermentation experiments that were highly unstable, initial yields were discouragingly low.
Picture
http://www.iwm.org.uk/

Picture
http://www.peoriahistoricalsociety.org/
One hot summer day, lab assistant, Mary Hunt, arrived with a cantaloupe covered with a “pretty, golden mold.” The mold was a fungus called penicillium chrysogeum, which yielded 200 times the amount of penicillin as Fleming’s.

Picture
http://www.peoriahistoricalsociety.org/
Scientist Jasper Kane suggested producing penicillin using deep-tank fermentation methods. Pfizer invested millions of dollars to buy equipment and facilities to produce penicillin. In 4 months, they produced five times the original amount. Pfizer produced more than half of all penicillin used by the Allies for the rest of the war, saving countless lives.

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Penicillin: The Wonder Drug

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Kayla Le​e
Senior Individual Website
National History Day 2016
Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange in History
Word Count: 1198
Process Paper: 415​​​​​
  • Home
  • Discovery
    • Alexander Fleming
    • The Oxford Scientists
  • Mass Production
    • Peoria Research Lab
    • Pfizer
  • Effects of Penicillin
    • World War II
    • Life Saver
    • Medicine After Penicillin
  • Conclusion
  • Research
    • Process Paper
    • Biblography