The Penicillin Miracle

The inspiring story of the secret race to develop penicillin, win World War II, and save millions of lives.

For most of history, infection was the deadliest wartime killer. It claimed the lives of just as many injured soldiers as their wounds themselves, until a chance discovery by a Scottish bacteriologist, advanced by top scientists across continents, changed everything. The cultivation, testing, and widespread distribution of penicillin was a medical Manhattan Project, undertaken during the upheaval of World War II with the utmost secrecy and speed. Unprecedented cooperation between British and American researchers and the pooling of massive resources across governments and the private sector turned the tides in the battle against debilitating infections, and ultimately reshaped the world.

In The Penicillin Miracle, author Stephen Puleo tells the full political, scientific, and social story behind this consequential breakthrough for the first time. Drawing from extensive archival research, he relates a compelling saga showcasing the best of human behavior—dedication, selflessness, strong leadership, and nobleness of purpose among people of extraordinary talent—and some of the worst: pettiness, jealousy, and egotism.

This is an inspiring tale of courage, audacity, science and art; all for the sake of the public good and all pinned against the vast tapestry of a world war. Penicillin saved the lives and limbs of hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers, offered hope to civilians everywhere, and ushered in the antibiotics revolution.