Preview
  • Penicillin

  • Medicine & Inventions
  • By: iMinds
  • Narrated by: Luca James Lee
  • Length: 6 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (59 ratings)

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Penicillin

By: iMinds
Narrated by: Luca James Lee
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Publisher's summary

Learn about the discovery of Penicillin with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series.When Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928, it was a lucky accident. He didn’t realize at the time that penicillin would dramatically change the face of medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.

Fleming was a researcher studying the natural antibacterial substances produced by the body. He had been working with the bacteria that caused boils. To study the bacteria he grew colonies of it on plates. He later took a holiday leaving plates of bacteria to grow while he was away. On returning from his holiday, he noticed a mold growing on one of the plates. Colonies of the bacteria, which should have been growing around the mold, had died off. Fleming knew this to be strange and went about trying to identify the mold. He discovered the mold produced an antibacterial substance which he later named “penicillin”. However, the penicillin produced by the mold was elusive and seemingly impossible to separate from the concoction in which he had cultivated it. As Fleming was unable to isolate the penicillin and did not yet realize its importance, he abandoned his work.

Perfect to listen to while commuting, exercising, shopping or cleaning the house.. iMinds brings knowledge to your MP3 with 8 minute information segments to whet your mental appetite and broaden your mind.

iMinds offers 12 main categories; become a Generalist by increasing your knowledge of Business, Politics, People, History, Pop Culture, Mystery, Crime, Culture, Religion, Concepts, Science and Sport. Clean and concise, crisp and engaging, discover what you never knew you were missing.

iMinds is the knowledge solution for the information age cutting through the white noise to give you quick, accurate knowledge .. Perfect your dinner party conversation, impress your boss - an excellent way to discover topics of interest for the future.

©2009 iMinds Pty Ltd (P)2009 iMinds Pty Ltd
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Editorial reviews

Alexander Fleming's discovery of the antibiotic penicillin, in 1928, was an important development in medicine, as it enabled the treatment of previously grave diseases. But it was a sheer act of accidental luck that Fleming, a scientist studying bacteria, made the crucial breakthrough. Luca James Lee performs a clear and concise style that turns the medicine's fascinating, convoluted science and background into a compelling yet easy-to-follow history. The authority of Lee's voice helps listeners to grasp the significance of penicillin as a medical tool in this effective iMinds title.

Critic reviews

"I'm learning all sorts of stuff about stuff I didn't even know I didn't know. And it sticks. In a nutshell: wonderful." (Jonathon Margolis, Financial Times)

What listeners say about Penicillin

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History of Discovery of Life Saving Drug

This concise and informative six minute listen outlines the discovery of penicillin and the years between its discovery and the time when it finally became of practical use. It gave me a new appreciation of the work that scientists and medical personnel put into the development of new drugs, the trial and error of their efforts, and the miracle of what God has put right in front of us for our use in the treatment of diseases.

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History

medicine history I really enjoyed the information that they had in here the narrator is absolutely great and I like the music they played in the background as well there should be a full book filled with a whole lot of these instead of just individually few minutes it was really good information I will listen to it again to try to remember more since it was filled with a lot of details I plan on looking this narrator up as well he was very clear and just was very great to listen to I look forward to more books like this

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Good to know about Penicillin

Penicillin has been a wonderful discovery to humanity. Until listening to this audio book, all I knew was that Penicillin is an antibiotic and that it was discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. However, its discovery and importance are well narrated succinctly in this short audio book.

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7 minutes packed with information about penicillin

7 minutes packed with information about penicillin, it's discovery and bring it to market. Thank you.

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Interesting topic, annoying music

A good refresher on the actual development of penicillin, but made too annoying to listen to by the continuous Hammond organ music in the background. Presumably meant to add a sense of excitement, but the quavery, maddeningly repetitive arpeggios are more suited to a gloomy ice rink, though I think it would drive skaters mad.
When did it become necessary for music to accompany intellectual discourse? The music in this recording renders it unlistenable.

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