2103 김민찬

Alexander Fleming: A Pioneer of Modern Medicine The person I would like to introduce is Alexander Fleming, a scientist who made an important contribution to medicine by discovering penicillin. Before antibiotics were widely available, many people suffered from serious bacterial infections. Fleming's discovery gave doctors a new way to treat these infections and greatly influenced modern medicine. Fleming was born in Scotland in 1881. He studied medicine in London and became interested in bacteria and infectious diseases. At that time, many patients had been infected by dangerous bacteria, and many illnesses had been difficult to treat effectively. Fleming wanted to find better ways to help patients. In 1928, Fleming made his most important discovery while studying bacteria. He noticed that mold had grown on one of his culture plates and that the bacteria around it had disappeared. By the time he investigated the plate, the bacteria had already been destroyed by a substance produced by the mold. Fleming himself carefully studied this unusual result and discovered penicillin. Penicillin was not immediately ready to be used as a common medicine. Before it could be produced on a large scale, many experiments had been conducted by other scientists. By the time penicillin was widely produced, many important discoveries had been made about its medical uses. During World War II, many wounded soldiers had been exposed to dangerous infections, so penicillin became an important treatment. What I find most impressive about Fleming is that he did not ignore an unexpected result. He himself investigated the mold instead of thinking it was simply a mistake. His careful observation and curiosity helped him make an important discovery. Other scientists themselves later developed his discovery into a useful medicine. As a student interested in science and engineering, I learned an important lesson from Fleming. Learning about his life made me realize that scientists need curiosity, careful observation, and persistence. If I get an unexpected result in an experiment, I want to investigate it instead of giving up. Fleming himself showed me that even a small discovery can have a huge influence on society. In conclusion, Alexander Fleming changed medicine through his discovery of penicillin. Many serious infections had been difficult to treat before antibiotics became widely available, but his discovery helped change this situation. Fleming himself showed that careful observation can lead to important discoveries. I hope to develop these qualities myself and use science and technology to help people in the future.