June 2015 Vol. 3 No. 6

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Review

The University of London, the scientific birthplace of Jenner and Fleming who saved and still saving millions of people throughout the world

Nāsir pūyān (Nasser Pouyan)

Nāsir pūyān (Nasser Pouyan), Tehran, 16616-18893, Iran

E-mail: nasser_pouyan@yahoo.com

Accepted June 02, 2015

Abstract

The University of London, founded by Royal Charter in 1836. For 60 years the university concerned itself solely with holding examinations. It did not become a university in the fullest sense of the word until the reconstruction of 1900 brought a number of institutions in London into a federal relationship as its colleges or schools. The University admitted women to its degrees, the first university in the United Kingdom to do so. A large number of notable people have passed through the University of London, either as staff or students including monarchs, presidents or prime ministers, Noble Prize laureates, Grammy winners, Oscar winner, Olympic gold medalists, discoverers, authors, inventors, political figures, novelists, and artists. But, of the paramount importance has been the British physicians Jenner and Flemingʼs responsibility for the introduction of preventive inoculation for smallpox and the discovery of the first antibiotic, penicillin. Some years later, a British group led by Australian pathologist Walter Florey, and Ernst Boris Chain naturalized English biochemist followed Flemingʼs lead, and isolated and purified penicillin whose major advantage is its Safety. Fleming, Florey, and Chain were awarded the Noble Prize of 1945 for medicine or physiology for the discovery of penicillin.

Key words: The University of London, Jenner, smallpox, Fleming, Florey, Chain, penicillin.