Medicine: Penicillin Fallout

Though penicillin is the greatest life-saving drug ever discovered, the "fallout'' of microscopic penicillin particles in hospitals may be a major factor in the spread of dangerous and sometimes fatal disease. This hypothesis, first proposed by Edinburgh's Dr. James C. Gould, wins support from a new study just reported by Dr. Jay Sanford, 30, of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

Villain of the piece is Staphylococcus aureus, one of the commonest of bacteria, found in the noses and throats of many healthy persons, but often leading to disease (boils, sore throats and even pneumonia) if the victim's resistance...