The Shortest History of Innovation

CHAPTER 01 — Mold Juice and Myth-Making

Penicillin: From Accidental Discovery to Miracle Drug

In 1928, Alexander Fleming noticed that bacteria had vanished around a patch of blue mold and discovered the first antibiotic, penicillin, but because he was not a chemist, he could not find a way to isolate it and turn it into a treatment. The real turning point came a decade or so later, when a team led by Howard Florey at Oxford University extracted and stabilized penicillin and succeeded in clinical trials. Working with American chemical engineers, the government, and pharmaceutical companies, they then built a mass-production system using "deep-tank fermentation," and penicillin rose to become a "miracle drug." In the end, penicillin was not the result of one person's chance discovery but the product of countless attempts and refinements, and of the persistent cooperation and exchange of ideas among many people.

Where Does the Power to Change the World Come From?

Innovation must be new, and it must be a product or process that can actually be used. Many inventions have enriched our lives, but many technologies have also caused side effects, failed, or never become reality, so we should be wary of unconditional optimism. This book explores why technologies succeed and why they fail.