Moldy Mary And Illinois’ State Microbe
In August, Governor JB Pritzker declared Penicillium Rubens —a mold that produces penicillin—as the official state microbe. Peoria played a crucial role in the mass production of penicillin, the most widely used antibiotic in the world, and it may have not been possible without the help of Mary Hunt, known as Moldy Mary. We were joined by a Peoria archivist and a research chemist talk about the history and woman behind the pronouncement.
GUESTS
Pat Dowd
Research Entomologist and archivist at the USDA ARS lab in Peoria
Chris Farris
Archivist, Peoria Public Library
Neil Price
Research Chemist at the USDA ARS lab in Peoria
#MoldyMary's Penicillium chrysogenum yielded 200x more penicillin than Fleming’s fungus. This increased to 1000x after enhancement with x-rays and filtration. Mass production of the life-saving anti-bacterial wonderdrug was finally possible! #stemwomeninhistory #womeninstem pic.twitter.com/6yVIBli7zH
— ScienceGrrl Glasgow (@SciGrrlGlasgow) August 13, 2019
It’s no secret that penicillin production is an achievement Peoria takes great pride in – but as of today, it becomes a point of pride for all of Illinois, with new status as our official state microbe.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) August 17, 2021
But what's gotten lost in that story is the truth of the famed Moldy Mary. pic.twitter.com/ZcQ4NhAXON
Prepared for web by Owen Henderson
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