What did Alexander Fleming discover?

Appeared in: UP CHO - 2018

Explanation

Sir Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928.
The discovery was accidental when he noticed that the mold Penicillium notatum inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus bacteria on a culture plate.
This finding marked the beginning of the antibiotic era, providing the first effective treatment against many bacterial infections.
For this discovery, Fleming, along with Howard Florey and Ernst Chain who developed it for mass production, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945.

Option B: X-rays were discovered by the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in 1895, not Alexander Fleming.
Option C: Streptomycin, an antibiotic effective against tuberculosis, was discovered in 1943 by a team led by Selman Waksman.
Option D: The telephone is an invention, not a medical discovery, and is credited to Alexander Graham Bell in 1876.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain History of major scientific and medical discoveries as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Penicillin and its derivatives remain crucial antibiotics for treating infections caused by gram-positive bacteria like Streptococcus and Staphylococcus.
A primary nursing safety-check is to always assess for penicillin allergies before administration. Allergic reactions can range from a mild skin rash to life-threatening anaphylaxis.
Nurses must monitor patients closely after the initial dose of any new antibiotic, especially penicillin, for signs of an allergic reaction.

How to Approach the Question

This is a factual recall question based on the history of science and medicine.
Identify the key figure in the question: 'Alexander Fleming'.
Recall or deduce the major discovery associated with this name.
Systematically evaluate each option against your historical knowledge.
Penicillin is famously linked to Fleming's accidental discovery.
Eliminate the other options by correctly associating them with their respective discoverers: X-Ray with Röntgen, Streptomycin with Waksman, and the Telephone with Bell.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Microbiology Applied AnjuDhir 3e Part 1 p. 36-38

E6 Microbiology Essentials Sastry 4e Part 1 p. 26-28

Practise the full UP CHO - 2018

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.