Auntibiotics: the BBC, penicillin, and the second world war

Abstract

Gilbert Shama considers the BBC's dissemination of the news about penicillin during the second world war Alexander Fleming published his seminal paper on penicillin in 1929, but the transformation of penicillin into a useful therapeutic agent was to take its virtual rediscovery, some 10 years later, by Howard Florey and his coworkers at Oxford University. The story that followed Florey's entry into the picture was a compelling race against time. Additionally it had the obvious propaganda value of what was, initially, a British success story at a time when there was little good news from the war front. The role of the BBC in disseminating this story has hitherto been overlooked, and the records, though fragmentary in places, add a new dimension to the early history of penicillin.

Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases: challenges and opportunities for militaries

“…The impact of novel agents is shown by the effect of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza on militaries from overseas importation or through the surrounding general population, with subsequent rapid spread in the closed living environments [65]. In addition, Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) raises issues with regards to biosafety and biosecurity, such as that which involves the creation of laboratorymodified H5N1 viruses capable of respiratory transmission [66].…”

Chapter 5 Zones of Inhibition? The Transfer of Information Relating to Penicillin in Europe during World War II

“…There is no mention of Rhône-Poulenc in his account; instead Sureau attributes the initiation of penicillin research at the Pasteur Institute to Nitti having heard a BBC French service broadcast in the Autumn of 1943. Shama (2008) has established that there was in fact a French broadcast on penicillin made on 29 th September 1943. In contrast to Home broadcasts, those made by the Foreign Services of the BBC were aimed at medical professionals and it is indeed possible that Nitti heard the broadcast and may have obtained useful information from it and even encouragement: it was almost certainly not what initiated penicillin research at the Pasteur Institute.…”

“…Whilst on the other, steps were taken to prevent the means for producing penicillin from falling into enemy hands. News about penicillin inevitably leaked into the public domain through newspaper articles and radio broadcasts (Shama, 2008), and the authorities in Britain and the United States found themselves having to explain why this miraculous new drug was being reserved exclusively to meet military needs and was unavailable to the civilian population.…”