Penicillin fermentation vessel, England, 1940-1945

Made:
1940-1945 in Europe
maker:
Pyrex ®
Penicillin fermentation vessel, England, 1940-1945 Penicillin fermentation vessel, England, 1940-1945 Penicillin fermentation vessel, England, 1940-1945 Penicillin fermentation vessel, England, 1940-1945 Penicillin fermentation vessel, England, 1940-1945 Penicillin fermentation vessel, England, 1940-1945 Penicillin fermentation vessel (early surface fermentation

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum, London

Penicillin fermentation vessel (early surface fermentation
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Penicillin fermentation vessel (early surface fermentation method), c. 1943

Thousands of glass fermentation vessels like this one were used in Glaxo (now GlaxoSmithKline) laboratories to produce penicillin. The penicillium mould was grown on the surface of a liquid filled with all the nutrients it needed. This approach was superseded by the method of growing the mould within large industrial fermenters. The antibiotic was first used in the early 1940s and saved the lives of many soldiers during the Second World War.

Details

Category:
Biotechnology
Object Number:
1963-372
Materials:
glass and clay
Measurements:
overall: 139 mm x 255 mm 183 mm, 1.5kg
type:
fermentation vessel
credit:
Glaxo Laboratories Limited