"A certain type of penicillium produces in culture a powerful antibacterial substance... The active agent is readily filterable and the name 'penicillin' has been given to filtrates of broth cultures of the mould... Penicillin is non-toxic to animals in enormous doses and is non-irritant... It is suggested that it may be an efficient antiseptic for application to, or injection into, areas infected with penicillin-sensitive microbes."
Alexander Fleming, British Journal of Experimental Pathology, 1929