In 2004, Eric Lax wrote a well-regarded book about the development of penicillin, the world’s first so-called miracle drug. Titled “The Mold in Dr. Florey’s Coat,” it made a complicated scientific topic accessible to a lay audience—and helped set the record straight about penicillin’s development. It also illuminated how much labor, time, money, technology, inspiration, and sheer luck went into the creation of penicillin. And it delved into the complicated interplay of personalities involved, or what The Guardian called “good fortune and squabbling” in its review of the book. In this interview, the Bulletin’s Dan Drollette Jr finds out what parallels—and differences—exist between the pressure to develop penicillin during World War II and the demand by public figures today for a vaccine to take out the coronavirus.
