Alexander Fleming's Wisdom: Medical Revolution

One sometimes finds what one is not looking for. Chance favors the prepared mind. It is the mind that makes the man, and our vigor is in our immortal soul. It is the lone worker who makes the first advance in a subject. The details may be worked out by a team, but the prime idea is due to enterprise, thought, and perception of an individual. Success in science and scientific work come not through the provision of unlimited or big resources, but in the wise and careful selection of problems to be studied, in the hard work in doing this work, and in the timely application of skill and knowledge. The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a star. I have been trying to point out that in our lives chance may have an astonishing influence, and if I may offer advice to the young laboratory worker, it would be this. Never to neglect an extraordinary appearance or happening. The more complex the system, the greater the room for error. One of the simple but fundamental tricks is to go back to fundamental principles, and this is often forgotten by people who are lost in the complexities of science. The more you reason, the less you create. It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor. The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are, and what we could become. It is not the individual who is of paramount importance, but the success of the organism, group, or nation in which he is serving. Research is what I'm doing when I don't know what I'm doing. When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn't plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world's first antibiotic or bacteria killer, but I guess that was exactly what I did. The unprepared mind cannot see the outstretched hand of opportunity. The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication. If penicillin can cure those that are ill, Spanish sherry can bring the dead back to life. It is the microbes who will have the last word. Make sure to subscribe and click the bell to be notified when we post new videos.