Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to search

Queensland and NSW floods 2022

Visit recovery.gov.au to see what help is available.

Close
Home

Top navigation main

  • News & media
  • Jobs
  • Ministers
  • Contact us
Main menu

AWE Main

  • Climate change
    Climate change Driving climate action, science and innovation so we are ready for the future.
    • Climate science and adaptation
    • Australia's climate change strategies
    • Emissions reduction
    • Emissions reporting
    • International commitments
    • Climate Active
    • Climate change publications and data
    • Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts (Emissions Data)
    Stronger action on climate change

    Stronger action on climate change

    See how the Australian Government is committed to taking more ambitious action on climate change.

    Find out more

  • Energy
    Energy Building a secure and sustainable energy system for all Australians.
    • Energy policy in Australia
    • Energy and Climate Change Ministerial Council
    • Renewable energy
    • Energy publications
    • energy.gov.au
    • Energy Rating
    • Commercial Building Disclosure Program
    • Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS)
    • Your Home
    Decorative image

    Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme

    Guiding energy-efficient design and construction for a net-zero future

    Find out more about NatHERS

  • Environment
    Environment Improving stewardship and sustainable management of Australia’s environment.
    • Bushfire recovery
    • Climate change and the environment
    • Biodiversity
    • EPBC Act
    • Environmental information and data
    • International activities
    • Invasive species
    • Land
    • Marine
    • Partnerships
    • Protection
    • Report a breach of environment law
    • Threatened species & ecological communities
    • Waste and recycling
    • Wildlife trade
    Decorative image

    Read our Nature Positive Plan

    Our plan sets out the Australian Government’s commitment to environmental law reform

    Find out more

  • Water
    Water Improving the sustainable management of Australia’s water supply for industry, the environment and communities.
    • Coal, Coal seam gas (CSG) and water
    • Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder
    • Water policy and resources
    • Wetlands
    Water matters

    Water Matters

    Keep up with the latest news on the department's work in managing Australia's water resources.

    Read the latest edition here

  • Parks and heritage
    Parks and heritage Managing Australia’s iconic national parks, historic places and living landscapes.
    • Australian Marine Parks
    • Australian National Botanic Gardens
    • Booderee National Park
    • Kakadu National Park
    • Christmas Island National Park
    • National parks
    • Norfolk Island National Park
    • Heritage
    • Pulu Keeling National Park
    • The Great Barrier Reef
    • Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
    The reef

    Great Barrier Reef

    Australia is protecting and conserving this World Heritage Area.

    Find out more

  • Science and research
    Science and research Undertaking research and collecting data to support informed decisions and policies.
    • Climate change
    • Australia's biological resources
    • National Environmental Science Program (NESP)
    • Office of the Science Convenor
    • Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS)
    • State of the Environment (SoE) reporting
    • Bird and bat banding
    • Supervising Scientist
    Our climate is changing

    Our climate is changing

    Find out more about how climate science helps Australians with the impacts of climate change.

    Find out more

  • About us
    About us We lead Australia’s response to climate change and sustainable energy use, and protect our environment, heritage and water.
    • Accountability and reporting
    • Assistance, grants and tenders
    • Fees and charges
    • News and media
    • Our commitment to you
    • People and jobs
    • What we do
    • Who we are
    Decorative image

    Juukan Gorge response

    Read the Australian Government's response to the destruction at Juukan Gorge and the recommendations

    Read the response

  • Online services
    Online services We do business with you using online platforms. This makes it easier for you to meet your legal requirements.
Department of Climate Change, Energy, Enviroment and Water

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Parks and heritage
  3. Heritage
  4. List of Overseas Places of Historic Significance to Australia
  5. Howard Florey's Laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, United Kingdom

Sidebar first - EN - Heritage

  • Heritage
    • About Australia's heritage
      • World heritage
        • Managing World Heritage in Australia
        • Understanding World Heritage Outstanding Universal Value
        • World Heritage listing process
        • World heritage criteria
        • Implications of World Heritage Listing
        • The World Heritage Convention
        • Management of Australia's world heritage listed places
          • Indigenous People & World Heritage
        • Notification of development proposals
      • National heritage
        • National Heritage List criteria
        • The National Heritage listing process
        • Managing National Heritage places
      • Commonwealth heritage
        • Commonwealth Heritage listing process
        • Commonwealth Heritage List criteria
        • Protecting Places
        • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Overseas Places of Historic Significance to Australia
    • Heritage places
      • World Heritage List
      • National Heritage List
      • Commonwealth Heritage List
      • List of Overseas Places of Historic Significance to Australia
        • Anzac Cove
        • Kokoda Track
        • Howard Florey's Laboratory
      • Register of the National Estate
      • Nominating a heritage place
      • Finalised Priority Assessment Lists
    • Indigenous heritage
    • Underwater cultural heritage
      • Underwater Cultural Heritage Act 2018
      • Australasian Underwater Cultural Heritage Database
      • Environmental planning advice
      • Famous Australian shipwrecks
      • Protected zones
      • International agreements
      • Possessing, exporting, importing underwater heritage
      • Education and getting involved
      • Visiting underwater heritage sites
    • Australian Heritage Strategy
    • International projects
      • Papua New Guinea
    • Heritage grants and funding
      • Australian Heritage Grants
        • 2022-23 (Round 5)
        • 2021-22 (Round 4)
        • 2020-21 (Round 3)
        • 2019-20 (Round 2)
        • 2018-19 (Round 1)
      • Community Heritage and Icons Grants
        • 2016-17 round
        • 2015-16 round
        • 2014-15 Round
      • Protecting National Historic Sites
        • 2017-18
        • 2016-17
        • 2015-16
        • 2014-15
      • National Trusts Partnership Program
    • Laws and notices
      • World heritage laws
      • Overseas heritage laws
      • National heritage laws
      • Commonwealth heritage laws
      • Indigenous cultural heritage laws
        • Protection under state and territory laws
    • Heritage organisations
      • Australian Heritage Council
        • About the Council
        • Media releases
        • National heritage assessments
        • Priority assessment lists
        • Heritage strategies and management plans
        • Thematic studies
        • Freedom of Information
        • AHC publications
      • Australian World Heritage Advisory Committee
      • National heritage organisations
      • International heritage organisations
      • Heritage Chairs and Officials of Australia and New Zealand
    • Managing a heritage place
      • Managing National Heritage Places
      • Managing Commonwealth heritage places
      • Referrals under the EPBC Act
        • Controlled actions - what next?
        • Failure to refer actions
        • Preparing a referral
        • What is a referral, an action and 'significant impact'?
        • When do I have to refer actions to the Minister?
      • Changing a heritage place
    • Publications and resources
      • Australian Heritage Database
        • Legal status and heritage place lists
        • Heritage photo library
      • Australian Natural Heritage Assessment Tool

Howard Florey's Laboratory, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, United Kingdom

Overview

 University of Oxford.

Howard Florey. Credit: University of Oxford.

The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, is where the outstanding Australian Howard Florey conducted his pioneering research to develop the anti-bacterial drug penicillin. The work of Florey and his team at Oxford was the greatest advance in medical science in its day, and has since saved millions of lives.

More information

In 1935, in recognition of his early research achievements, Florey was appointed to the position of the William Dunn Chair of Pathology. As Chair he took the unusual step of drawing together a multi-disciplinary team to undertake medical research on antibacterial substances. In the 1930s, bacterial infections and sepsis continued to claimed many lives. The mid 1930s witnessed the introduction of the sulphanilamide drugs to fight bacterial infections but they were ineffective against staphylococci and pneumococci, and the search for further antibacterial agents continued.

Discovering penicillin

The story of the discovery of penicillin began with Alexander Fleming, who in 1928 noticed that mould had inhibited the growth of some species of bacteria. He correctly identified the mould extract as being from the penicillium family. Years later, a member of Florey's team, Ernst Chain, stumbled across an article from 1929 on Fleming's work. Florey switched the focus of his biochemical team to developing a penicillin that could be mass-produced.

Sir William Dunn school. Credit: University of Oxford.

The first antibiotic to successfully to treat serious infectious diseases

In mid 1940, Florey and his team at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology performed one of the most important medical experiments. Penicillin was tested on mice injected with a lethal does of streptococci bacteria, with miraculous results. The first human clinical trials of penicillin began in the early months of 1941, during which its remarkable healing powers were demonstrated. Trials continued over the next few years, and commercial production of penicillin began in mid 1943. Aware of the high infection rate among wounded WWII soldiers, Florey and his team raced to produce sufficient penicillin to enable it to be used on the beaches of France on D-Day, radically improving the survival rates of, and reducing the need for invasive surgery on, the wounded.

International accolades

Widely honoured for his pioneering work with antibacterial agents, Florey, with Alexander Fleming and Ernst Chain shared the 1945 Noble Prize for Physiology or Medicine 'for the discovery of penicillin and its curative effect in various infectious diseases'.

Florey was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1941, knighted in 1944 and created a peer in 1965. He was appointed to the French Lgion d'honneur in 1946 and awarded the United States of America's Medal of Merit in 1948. He was the first Australian to be elected to the prestigious position of President of the Royal Society (1960-65) and was Provost of Queen's College, Oxford from 1962 to 1968. Florey was Chancellor of the Australian National University from 1965 until his death in Oxford, on 21 February 1968.

His laboratory at Oxford University is of outstanding significance to Australia as the place where this revolutionary research, which has helped alleviate suffering around the globe, took place.

Thanks for your feedback.
Thanks! Your feedback has been submitted.

We aren't able to respond to your individual comments or questions.
To contact us directly phone us or submit an online inquiry

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Please verify that you are not a robot.

Skip

Footer

  • Contact us
  • Accessibility
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • FOI
Last updated: 03 October 2021

© Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.