It is now accepted that Alexander Fleming did not discover penicillium, the fungal basis of the drug penicillin, since it is known to have been used in the 1870s and was probably known to the shaman of ancient peoples. On that basis then, if I collected the mould from bread, fruit and vegetables and pounded it up into a mix, would the result be a viable penicillium for treating injuries? I am not planning to do this, but the idea has its attractions.
Les Summers, Kidlington, Oxon
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