One person that made an impact on the world that should have a monument in Washington D.C. is Alexander Fleming. Alexander Fleming invented the substance penicillin. Penicillin is a substance that kills bacteria. Before, there was no true antibiotic that killed bacteria. “But it was not until 1928 that penicillin, the first true antibiotic, was discovered by Alexander Fleming, Professor of Bacteriology at St. Mary's Hospital in London.”
Even though there were antibiotics, they still didn’t work well enough to cure or help infections. Alexander fleming’s invention of penicillin was a world changing invention. It helped destroy a lot of bacteria. “Fleming found that his "mold juice" was capable of killing a wide range of harmful bacteria, such as streptococcus, meningococcus and the diphtheria bacillus.” Penicillin helped eliminate many bacterial infections such as Pneumonia, syphilis, gonorrhea, diphtheria and scarlet fever. Although a lot of men and women died in World War two, Penicillin saved the lives of thousand of soldiers during the war. “It was only during Second World War that fellow scientists Florey and Chain were able to extract penicillin in sufficient quantities to use it as treatment.” Penicillin helped reduce the number of amputations and deaths during World War two.
Works Cited
"Alexander Fleming Biography | ." Biography Online. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.
"Alexander Fleming Discovery and Development of Penicillin - Landmark." American Chemical Society. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.