page_title: Pharmaceutical engineering
section_title: Beginning of mass production
hierarchical_section_title: Pharmaceutical engineering / History / Beginning of mass production
caption_attribution_description: Equipment used for making early forms of penicillin; anon., n.d. milk-churns Archives &amp; Manuscripts Keywords: apparatus: penicillin; chain, sir ernst boris {1906-1; cmac; cmac: pp/ebc/ b.18; Ernst Boris Chain
context_page_description: Pharmaceutical engineering is a branch of engineering focused on discovering, formulating, and manufacturing medication, as well as analytical and quality control processes. It utilizes the fields of chemical engineering, biomedical engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences.
context_section_description: In 1928, Alexander Fleming discovered a mold named Penicillium chrysogenum which prevented many types of bacteria from growing. Scientists identified the potential of this mold to provide treatment in humans against bacteria which cause infections. During World War II, the United Kingdom and the United States worked together to find a method of mass producing Penicillin, a derivative of the Penicillium mold, which had the potential to save many lives during the war since it could treat infections common in injured soldiers. Although Penicillin could be isolated from the mold in a laboratory setting, there was no known way to obtain the amount of medication needed to treat the quantity of people who needed it. Scientists with major chemical companies such as Pfizer were able to develop a deep-fermentation process which could produce a high yield of penicillin. In 1944, Pfizer opened the first penicillin factory, and its products were exported to aid the war efforts overseas.
caption: Equipment for deep-fermentation of penicillin
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