But it took a team of Oxford scientists headed by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain four more years to develop it as the first antibiotic, and the most important family of drugs in the twentieth century. At once the world was transformed—major bacterial scourges such as blood poisoning and pneumonia, scarlet fever and diphtheria, gonorrhea and syphilis were defeated as penicillin helped to foster not only a medical revolution but a sexual one as well. In his wonderfully engaging book, acclaimed author Eric Lax tells the real story behind the discovery and why it took so long to develop the drug. He reveals the reasons why credit for penicillin was misplaced, and why this astonishing achievement garnered a Nobel Prize but no financial rewards for Alexander Fleming, Florey, and his team. The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat is the compelling story of the passage of medicine from one era to the next and of the eccentric individuals whose participation in this extraordinary accomplishment has, until now, remained largely unknown.

    At the heart of the dispute is "brucellosis," a dangerous disease that could devastate the cattle industry-and be transmitted to humans.Veterinarian Jed McCane is working on a new vaccine that could wipe out the disease. It never occurs to him that anyone could feel threatened by his research--until someone tries to kill him. The attack brings an unlikely ally into his life: an activist from Buffalo Nation, a group determined to stop the slaughter of America's last free-roaming bison. It also devastates Jed's world: who are his friends? Who are his enemies?Why would anyone object to a vaccine that could wipe out brucellosis forever? Jed must find the answer before time runs out, for both the buffalo and the safety of the world's food supply.