“I have been trying to point out that in our lives chance may have an astonishing influence and, if I may offer advice to the young laboratory worker, it would be this-never neglect an extraordinary appearance or happening. It may be-usually is, in fact-a false alarm that leads to nothing, but may on the other hand be the clue provided by fate to lead you to some important advance.” IfsTryingMayHas BeensImportantFactsHandsWould BeYoungScienceChanceOur LivesFateInfluenceAdviceOffersHappeningsDiscoveryLuckExtraordinaryWorkersAppearanceNeglectClueAstonishingLaboratoryAlarmsPenicillin Author:Alexander Fleming
“In my first publication I might have claimed that I had come to the conclusion, as a result of serious study of the literature and deep thought, that valuable antibacterial substances were made by moulds and that I set out to investigate the problem. That would have been untrue and I preferred to tell the truth that penicillin started as a chance observation. My only merit is that I did not neglect the observation and that I pursued the subject as a bacteriologist. My publication in 1929 was the starting-point of the work of others who developed penicillin especially in the chemical field.” FirstsHas BeensMadeProblemMightScienceLiteratureChanceResultsStudySubjectsFieldsSeriousDiscoveryStartingValuableConclusionObservationSubstanceMeritTelling The TruthNeglectChemicalsDeep ThoughtPursuedPublicationStarting PointUntrueMouldPenicillin Author:Alexander Fleming
