This oral history interview was conducted with Dr. Alfred Gras on September 23, 2005 by Jessica Roseberry. Duration: 00:20:00 Gras discusses his renaissance of interest in his own receipt of penicillin as medical student; notes from his father's journal about the event; Mary Poston; David Tillerson Smith; sulfonamides; his near death and miraculous recovery from bilateral staphylococcal pneumonia from use of penicillin; availability of penicillin at the time; Dr. Edward Levy and Dr. John Peck setting up penicillin drip; Dr. Levy and Dr. Peck telling him he was receiving a "vitabrew " in his leg; vein problems due to the treatment; further use of the penicillin extracted from his urine; obtaining the penicillin; his lack of having heard about penicillin; write-up of case in New England Journal of Medicine; cost (none) of his experimental penicillin versus estimated cost of same amount ($10,000); coming to Duke Medical School; lack of event status of the incident among his peers; cessation of penicillin due to complications from intravenous delivery; and further career. Includes a master and use audio cassette tapes and a transcript, which is available both in print and digitally.
Alfred Gras (1920-2007) was a graduate of Duke University Medical School in 1944. He went into internal medical practice in Newark and Nutley, New Jersey; and Vermont. This collection contains 1 oral history interview conducted on September 23, 2005 by Jessica Roseberry. Gras discusses his medical education and his experience of being the first student at Duke to receive penicillin.