Alexander+Fleming

Drew C and Cory H

=Alexander Fleming= Picture taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming

1. What were the contributions of this scientist? Alexander Fleming contributed the use of Penicillin as an antibacterial agent.

2. What experiment did they perform? Alexander Fleming made the discovery of Penicillin on accident while testing another theory he had. It was then used to help kill off harmful bacteria such as staphylococci. Which can cause harmful diseases like scarlet fever, pneumonia, meningitis, and diptheria.

3. Did they experiment because of an accidental discovery (accidentally stumbled upon something and then experimented further) or did they discover something accidentally through work on something else? Alexander’s discovery was accidental because he was working on something else at the time. He was working on one of his projects and then later left on vacation with his family. Before he left he accidentally left a culture plate with staphylococci on his lab bench; when he came back Alexander found a plate that had staphylococci bacteria on it with a clear halo around where the yellow-green mold wouldn't grow. This happening made him want to find out what had happened leading to the finding of antibacterial uses of //Penicillium notatum//

4. Did their contribution lead to a theory or a law? State name of the theory or law. What Alexander Fleming contributed cannot be considered a theory or law because it was simply a discovery. While Alexander was trying to prove another theory he had he discovered the antibacterial uses of //Penicillium notatum//.

Information found on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Fleming http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/fleming.html