Alexander Fleming

Alexander Fleming was a famous Scottish scientist. He was born on the 6th of August 1881 in Darvel. Darvel is a small village in Ayrshire, near Kilmarnock.

His dad was a farmer. Alexander and his 7 siblings grew up on a farm. Alexander was a very intelligent young boy. After he finished secondary school, he moved to London. In London, he studied medicine at university.

From 1914 to 1918, Alexander was in the British army. At this time, it was World War 1. Britain and other countries were at war against Germany. Alexander didn't fight in the army. He was a doctor in the army. He worked in army hospitals in France during the war.

After the war, Alexander returned to London, where he taught medicine at university. He is famous because he discovered the first antibiotic in 1928. He called this antibiotic penicillin.

Antibiotics help cure all different kinds of infections. For example: chest infections, throat infections, ear infections and many other infections. Without antiobiotics many people would die. Antibiotics have saved millions of people.

Today, streets in many towns and cities in Scotland have his name.

He died on the 11th March 1955.