The Mould in Dr Florey’s Coat by Eric Lax, Little Brown, £16.99, ISBN 0316859257 Reviewed by Roy Herbert
EVERYONE knows the story of penicillin. Alexander Fleming noticed that a mould, accidentally arriving in a Petri dish, had killed the bacteria in it. Right, as far as it goes, and it doesn’t go far. He did not do much about this observation. After failing to extract the active substance from the mould, he presented two scientific papers about it. His presentations created no stir because he was a dull speaker.
It wasn’t until the breezy Australian scientist, Howard Florey, was appointed director of the Sir William Dunn…
