Voting Station

Howard Florey

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Doctor

The Resume

    (September 24, 1898-February 21, 1968)
    Born in Adelaide, Australia
    With Ernst Chain isolated penicillin from the mold penicillium notatum
    Developed techniques for mass production of penicillin
    Co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Chain and Alexander Fleming (1945)
    Named a life peer as Baron Florey (1965)

Why he might be annoying:

    The first patient he treated with penicillin started recovering, but had a relapse and died when the supply of the drug ran out.
    His role in the development of penicillin was overshadowed by Alexander Fleming's.
    After his first wife died, he married his research assistant.
    He said, 'People sometimes think that I and the others worked on penicillin because we were interested in suffering humanity. I don't think it ever crossed our minds about suffering humanity. This was an interesting scientific exercise.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He refused to take out a patent on penicillin since it could benefit all mankind.
    He went from testing penicillin on mice to mass production in only three years.
    Mass production of penicillin started in 1943, saving the lives of millions of Allied soldiers in World War II.
    Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies said, 'In terms of world well-being, Florey was the most important man ever born in Australia.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 114 Votes: 56.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 55 Votes: 63.64% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 20 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 27 Votes: 59.26% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 26 Votes: 46.15% Annoying