Helping the Ailing Soldiers During WWI
During World War I, Sir Fleming was stationed at a wound-research facility in Boulogne, France. He was one of the members of the research team which was led by Wright. He eventually found that the antiseptics being used to treat wounds didn’t have any positive effect on the injury.
The Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming (1881-1955) best known for his discovery of penicillin, with his wife Amalia Courteous after their marriage. (Photo by © Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
The antiseptics were worsening the wound by destroying leukocytes. So, he advised that the injury should be clean and dry, and no disinfectant must be used. However, his advice was not taken seriously back then.