Medical milestones, landmark publications, and notable births and deaths associated with September 28.

Events

1928 – Alexander Fleming (1881–1955) discovered the inhibitory effect of the Penicillium mold on his staphylococci culture plate after returning from holiday on September 3, 1928. He named the substance “penicillin” on March 7, 1929, and published his findings later that year. 

When I woke up just after dawn on September 28, 1928, I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionize all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic, or bacteria killer…but I suppose that was exactly what I did

Alexander Fleming (1881–1955)

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Births

1839 – Theodor Langhans (1839-1915), German pathologist; described Langhans giant cells (1868) and the Layer of Langhans (1870)

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Deaths

1838 – Edward Selleck Hare (1812-1838), British surgeon; the first to describe a case of cervical tumour in association with ocular symptoms (Horner syndrome)

1829 – George Kellie (1770-1829), Scottish surgeon; described Monro-Kellie doctrine (1783)

1945 – Jules Sottas (1866–1945), French neurologist; described Dejerine-Sottas Disease (1893) 

2001 – Robert Douglas Sweet (1917-2001), English Dermatologist; described Sweet syndrome (acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis) (1964)

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Further reading

• Blake, K. The Penicillin Myth. Asimov Press 2025