Join us in the Discovery Centre at school for this talk by clinical scientist, science communicator and Old Latin, Kip Heath.

In September 1928 Alexander Fleming came back from holiday to find his bacterial culture plates had been contaminated by mould. It’s unlikely that he knew how big an impact this discovery would have on the world. The first penicillin trials were carried out in 1941 and changed the way we handle infectious diseases. But, less than 100 years later we are facing the end of the antibiotic era. There are over 1 million deaths every year from drug resistant infections and as resistance increases, even more of our lives will be impacted.

This talk will discuss the history of antibiotics, discussing some of the ways infections were treated before they were routinely used. It will share the stories of scientists that got antibiotics into the spotlight and the impact that they’ve made on the world. Towards the end, we will cover some of the ways that bacteria have learned to survive against antibiotics and what a post-antibiotic world might look like.

Entry to these lectures is free to all members of the local community. For further details, or to book a seat, visit the Lillingstone Lectures web page on the Royal Latin website or email Lucy Beckett at lbeckett@royallatin.org