Alexander Fleming
/ˌælɪɡzɑːndə ˈflemɪŋ/, /ˌælɪɡzændə ˈflemɪŋ/
/ˌælɪɡzændər ˈflemɪŋ/
- (1881-1955) a Scottish scientist who became well known for discovering penicillin, the first antibiotic that successfully killed bacteria and cured infections. He was made a knight in 1944, and in 1945 shared the Nobel Prize for medicine with two colleagues who helped him to develop the use of penicillin.