Two letters from Charles Fletcher to his sister describing his clinical trials of penicillin
(Fols. 88-89) Two letters from Charles Fletcher to his sister Anne Hopkinson which touch on his involvement in the development of penicillin in 1941. As a clinician at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, Fletcher worked with the soon to be Nobel-prize winning scientists at the University of Oxford's Sir William Dunn School of Pathology to perform the first clinical trials of penicillin. On 17 January 1941 he had administered the first ever injection of penicillin into a human patient. In these letters he describes (fol. 88) the way that penicillin existed in such small quantities that it needed to be extracted from patients' urine in order to re-use it, and (fol. 89) treating the young boy John Cox. The letter of 25 May 1941 (fol. 89) also mentions Charles Fletcher's treatment of his own diabetes.
Dates
- Creation: 21 Feb, 25 May 1941
Extent
2 Leaves
Language of Materials
- English
Shelfmark:
MS. Eng. c. 8417, fols. 88-89
Collection ID (for staff)
CMD ID 22201
Custodial History
The letters were in the custody of the original recipient Anne Hopkinson and inherited by her family.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The letters were donated to the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and the Bodleian Libraries by Anne Hopkinson's daughter, Jenny Leeves, 2022.
- Title
- Catalogue of two letters from Dr. Charles Fletcher relating to penicillin
- Status
- Published
- Author
- Charlotte McKillop-Mash
- Date
- 2022
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Bodleian Libraries Repository
Weston Library
Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3BG United Kingdom
specialcollections.enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk