Sheffield Honours Cecil George Paine, Pioneer of Penicillin's Therapeutic Use
核心洞察
Cecil George Paine (搜索), a University of Sheffield pathologist, performed the first documented topical application of unpurified penicillin (搜索) in 1930 to treat human infections.
Paine successfully treated eye infections in two babies and a miner, sharing his findings with Alexander Fleming and Howard Florey.
Sir Howard Florey later purified penicillin (搜索) and conducted the first clinical trial of the drug in 1941, a breakthrough estimated to have saved 82 million lives worldwide.
A forgotten chapter in one of medicine's greatest discoveries is being celebrated, as the University of Sheffield honours the doctor scientist who paved the way for the therapeutic use of penicillin (搜索). A plaque has now been installed at the University of Sheffield's Jessop Building, a former Victorian hospital, in honour of Cecil George Paine (搜索), a member of the University's Pathology Department who carried out the first documented topical application of unpurified penicillin in 1930.
Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin (搜索) in 1928, but it was researchers at the University of Sheffield who first documented successful use of penicillin as a therapy to treat human infections — a breakthrough that is estimated to have saved 82 million lives worldwide.
A Little-Known Medical Milestone
The pathologist, who took up an academic post at the University of Sheffield in 1932, made a little-known piece of medical history when he successfully applied an early form of penicillin (搜索) to treat the eye infections of two babies and a miner. The mould from which the penicillin was derived was given to Paine by Alexander Fleming, who had been Paine's lecturer at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London.
Fleming published details of his fundamental discovery of penicillin (搜索) as an antibacterial agent in 1928, but its therapeutic potential had not yet been pursued. Others, including Fleming, tried to use penicillin prior to Paine with little evidence of success.
From Discovery to Clinical Trial
Paine shared his findings of successfully using penicillin (搜索) to treat infection with Fleming and Howard Florey, Professor of Pathology at Sheffield Medical School from 1932 to 1935. Along with a team from Oxford, Sir Howard Florey then went on to purify penicillin, conducting the first clinical trial of the drug in 1941.
Paine did not publish the research, or maintain clear records, which means his work could have been lost had it not been publicised in the 1980s.
Honouring a Transformative Legacy
Sheila Francis, Professor of Cardiovascular Biology at the University of Sheffield, said: "Cecil Paine's contribution to one of the world's most important medical discoveries is little-known, but his pioneering work helped pave the way for a treatment that has saved millions of lives around the globe."
"We honour and commemorate his life and remarkable achievements in the city where he lived," Francis added. "Paine's work is part of the University of Sheffield's proud tradition of making discoveries that transform lives."