ABSTRACT
In February 1941, a young policeman in Oxford, England developed severe cellulitis after scratching his face on a rose bush. Dr Howard Florey and his colleagues made medical history by treating the patient with intravenous penicillin. The patient at first showed a remarkable improvement, but after 5 days the physicians' tiny supply of the antibiotic ran out. The patient relapsed and died 10 days later. Despite this tragic result, the antibiotic era had begun.
