Chain and colleagues: penicillin as a chemotherapeutic agent

What changed

Demonstrated extracted penicillin's protection in infected mice with toxicity and assay observations.

Scientific scope

The record is the exact seven-author 1940 Lancet paper, with names retained at the byline precision supported by the primary metadata. Its evidence is preclinical animal work, not the later human treatment series, mass production or penicillin discovery.

Evidence

The linked sources identify this contribution and its scope. WRS has not independently reconstructed the scientific claims. The record is the exact seven-author 1940 Lancet paper, with names retained at the byline precision supported by the primary metadata. Its evidence is preclinical animal work, not the later human treatment series, mass production or penicillin discovery.

Contributors

E. Chain · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
H. W. Florey · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
A. D. Gardner · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
N. G. Heatley · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
M. A. Jennings · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
J. Orr-Ewing · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.
A. G. Sanders · SCIENCE: Named source author of the scoped work; individual effort shares are not measured.

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-16.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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