occupation norman heatley
 - lactam antibiotics ( beta - lactam antibiotics ) are a class of broad - spectrum antibiotics , consisting of all antibiotic agents that contain a beta - lactam ring in their molecular structures . This includes penicillin derivatives ( penams ), cephalosporins ( cephems ), monobactams , and carbapenems . Most  - lactam antibiotics work by inhibiting cell wall biosynthesis in the bacterial organism and are the most widely used group of antibiotics . Until 2003 , when measured by ___MASK20___ , more than half of all commercially available antibiotics in use were  - lactam compounds . Norman George Heatley ( 10 January 1911 -- 5 January 2004 ) was a member of the team of Oxford University scientists who developed penicillin . Norman Heatley developed the back extraction technique for efficiently purifying penicillin in bulk . Penicillium is a genus of ascomycetous fungi of ___MASK81___ importance in the natural environment as well as food and drug production . Birmingham is a ___MASK81___ city and metropolitan borough of West Midlands , England . It is the largest and most populous British city outside London , with a population in 2014 of 1 , 101 , 360 . The city is in the West Midlands Built - up Area , the third most populous urban area in the United Kingdom , with a population of 2 , 440 , 986 at the 2011 census . Birmingham ' s metropolitan area is the second most populous in the UK with a population of 3 . 8 million . This also makes Birmingham the 9th most populous metropolitan area in Europe . Oxford is a city in the South East region of England and the county town of Oxfordshire . With a population of 159 , 994 it is the 52nd largest city in the ___MASK98___ , and one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse . The city is situated from London , from Bristol , from both Southampton and Birmingham and from Reading . Penicillin ( PCN or pen ) is a group of antibiotics which include penicillin G ( intravenous use ), penicillin V ( use by mouth ), and procaine penicillin , and benzathine penicillin ( intramuscular use ). Penicillin antibiotics were among the first medications to be effective against many bacterial infections caused by staphylococci and streptococci . Penicillins are still widely used today , though many types of bacteria have developed resistance following extensive use . About 10 % of people report that they are allergic to penicillin ; however , up to 90 % of this group may not actually be allergic . Serious allergies only occur in about 0 . 03 %. All penicillins are  - lactam antibiotics . Penicillin was discovered in 1928 by Scottish ___MASK87___ Alexander Fleming . People began using it to treat infections in 1942 . There are several enhanced penicillin families which are effective against additional bacteria ; these include the antistaphylococcal penicillins , aminopenicillins and the antipseudomonal penicillins . They are derived from " Penicillium " fungi . Southampton , on the south coast of England , is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire . It is south - west of London and north - west of Portsmouth . Southampton is a ___MASK81___ port and the closest city to the New Forest . It lies at the northernmost point of Southampton Water at the confluence of the Rivers Test and Itchen , with the River Hamble joining to the south of the urban area . The city , which is a unitary authority , has an estimated population of 253 , 651 . The city ' s name is sometimes abbreviated in writing to " So ' ton " or " Soton ", and a resident of Southampton is called a . Sir Alexander Fleming ( 6 August 188111 March 1955 ) was a Scottish ___MASK61___ , pharmacologist and botanist . His best - known discoveries are the enzyme lysozyme in 1923 and the world ' s first antibiotic substance benzylpenicillin ( Penicillin G ) from the mould " Penicillium notatum " in 1928 , for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain . He wrote many articles on bacteriology , immunology , and chemotherapy . London is the capital and most populous city of England and the ___MASK98___ , as well as the most populous city proper in the European Union . Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain , London has been a ___MASK81___ settlement for two millennia . It was founded by the Romans , who named it " Londinium ". London ' s ancient core , the City of London , largely retains its medieval boundaries . Since at least the 19th century , " London " has also referred to the metropolis around this core , historically split between Middlesex , Essex , Surrey , Kent , and Hertfordshire , which today largely makes up Greater London , governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly . Bristol is a city , unitary authority area and county in South West England with an estimated population of 449 , 300 in 2016 . It is England ' s sixth and the ___MASK98___ ' s eighth most populous city , and the most populous city in Southern England after London . The city borders the Unitary Authority areas of North Somerset and South Gloucestershire , with the historic cities of Bath and Gloucester to the south - east and north - east , respectively .