Norman Heatley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Norman Heatley
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| Born | 10 January 1911 Woodbridge, Suffolk, England
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| Died | 5 January 2004 (aged 92) Oxford, England
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| Nationality | English |
| Education | Saint Felix School; Westbourne House School; Tonbridge School |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Penicillin |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biology, biochemistry |
| Institutions | Lincoln College, Oxford University |
Norman George Heatley (born January 10, 1911 – died January 5, 2004) was a smart English scientist. He was a biologist and biochemist. He was part of a team at Oxford University that created penicillin. This medicine changed how doctors treated infections. Heatley invented a special way to make a lot of pure penicillin. This helped save many lives.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Norman Heatley was born in a town called Woodbridge, Suffolk. When he was a boy, he loved to sail a small boat on the River Deben. This started his lifelong love for sailing. He went to school at Westbourne House School and Tonbridge School.
After school, he studied Natural Sciences at St John's College, Cambridge. He finished his first degree in 1933. Then, he earned his PhD in 1936. Later, he moved to the University of Oxford. There, he joined a team led by Howard Florey. This team also included Ernst Chain.
The Penicillin Challenge
A scientist named Alexander Fleming first found penicillin in 1928. But he didn't think it would be very useful. Later, Florey's team realized how powerful penicillin could be. It could fight serious bacterial infections.
However, they had a big problem. They needed to make a lot of penicillin. It was hard to produce enough to help people. Norman Heatley was the newest member of the team. But he was very clever and good at inventing things.
Heatley's Smart Idea
Heatley came up with a brilliant idea. He figured out how to make penicillin pure. He suggested moving the active part of penicillin back into water. He did this by changing how acidic it was. This made the penicillin much cleaner and stronger.
To test penicillin on people, they needed even more of it. Again, Heatley found a simple solution. He realized that special porcelain containers, like those used in hospitals, would work best. These were hard to find during World War II. So, Heatley designed a new version. These were made in factories in Staffordshire.
With these new containers, the Oxford lab became the first place to make penicillin in large amounts. Tests on humans showed that the new medicine worked very well. But it was still difficult to make enough for everyone who needed it.
First Human Trials
In December 1940, a police officer named Albert Alexander got very sick. He had scratched his mouth on a rose thorn. This led to a serious blood infection called septicaemia. Doctors at the Radcliffe Infirmary tried many treatments, but nothing worked.
Florey and Heatley heard about Alexander's case. They had only tested penicillin on mice before. Heatley worried about giving large amounts to a person. On February 12, 1941, Alexander received penicillin through a drip.
Amazing Results and a Sad End
Within a day, Alexander's fever went down. He started to feel better, and his infection began to heal. But there wasn't much penicillin available. It was also hard to keep the medicine stable. Because of wartime limits, Florey's team ran out of penicillin after five days. Sadly, Albert Alexander died a month later. Even so, this first test showed that penicillin could save lives.
Working in the United States
In 1941, Heatley and Florey traveled to the United States. They wanted to make a lot of pure penicillin. They convinced a lab in Peoria, Illinois, to help them make it on a bigger scale.
In Peoria, Heatley worked with Dr. A.J. Moyer. Moyer suggested adding corn-steep liquor to the penicillin mixture. This was a leftover liquid from making starch. With this and other small changes, they made much more penicillin. But Moyer started to keep secrets from Heatley.
A Secret and a Discovery
Florey went back to Oxford in September. Heatley stayed in Peoria until December. Then, he worked at a company called Merck & Co. in Rahway, New Jersey, for six months. In July 1942, he returned to Oxford. Soon, he found out why Moyer had been so secretive.
When Moyer published their research, he left Heatley's name off the paper. This was unfair because they had agreed to publish together. Fifty years later, Heatley said he was more amused than angry about it. He later learned that Moyer wanted all the credit and money for himself. If Heatley's name was on the paper, Moyer couldn't claim the invention alone.
Norman Heatley's Achievements
Sir Henry Harris, another scientist, once said in 1998:
"Without Fleming, no Chain or Florey; without Florey, no Heatley; without Heatley, no penicillin."
This means that Norman Heatley's work was very important. He was a key part of the team that brought penicillin to the world.
Recognition for His Work
In 1945, Fleming, Florey, and Chain won the Nobel prize for their work on penicillin. But Heatley's amazing contributions were not fully recognized for another 45 years.
It wasn't until 1990 that Oxford University gave him a special honor. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Medicine. This was the first time in Oxford's 800-year history that a non-doctor received this award. In 1978, he was also given the OBE award.
Later Life and Legacy
Norman Heatley passed away on January 5, 2004, at his home near Oxford. His house now has a special blue plaque to remember him. He was survived by his wife, Mercy, and their four children.
After Heatley died, Oxford University created an award in his name. The Norman Heatley Postdoctoral Award is given to researchers. It honors those who show great cleverness and problem-solving skills. Heatley's important papers are kept safe in the Wellcome Collection in London.
Sources
- Heatley, Norman George, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (restricted access)
