In 1928, microbiologist Alexander Fleming noticed that "mould juice" tended to kill off staphylococcal bacteria. That was the discovery of penicillin, but it was only the beginning of the research into it. The first use on a human being was much later. In 1941 AlbertAlexander of Oxford, England, was suffering from sepsis, a virulent blood infection caused by his infected facial scratches from a rose bush, and was near death - the perfect candidate for the experimental penicillin serum. Alexander received his first dose of penicillin and over the course of a 10-day treatment, the infection improved! Sadly, there was not enough prepared penicillin to save Alexander's life in the long run. But the treatment was proven to be safe and effective for human use.
More of your malapropisms, New Zealand
1. "I overheard our neighbour tell my father that she enjoyed her cruise but was glad to be back on terra cotta."
2. "Elderly lady talking to daughter in rest home: "They have just put a thing called a defibrillator here. I don't know why, we are all nice people and don't tell fibs!"
3. "A young mum explaining her speech-impaired child: "She has a problem with her valve sounds".
4. "A friend who was telling me about a mutual acquaintance known for his tight-fistedness said: "He's a real cheapsteak".
5. "After the Christchurch earthquakes an elderly friend was empathising with "all those poor people with their liposuction!"
For the bogan in your family
You can now have one mullet on your head and two on your ankles. (Via Amazon.com)
Garden-variety dead possum solutions
Most city councils have amusing "message received, getting round to it, do not reply" responses to reporting a problem, but the "Glenfield reader" with the dead possum could have saved time and electronic resources by taking a shovel for a walk out to the berm, picking up the offending dead possum and chucking it in the bin. On rubbish day, of course. (Obviously not a gardening suburb, or someone would have already scooped it up to bury in a garden for a bit of fertiliser.)
Less about saving money than saving the planet
The back and forth between readers about the relative cost of electric vehicles misses the point entirely, according to Joseph: "They don't burn petrol, therefore, contribute little to air pollution or climate change!"
