9781422277577

The rolling hills of Ayrshire, a county in southwestern Scotland. Alexander Fleming grew up on a farm not far from this area.

Words to Understand

honours— in the British educational system, students who earn undergraduate degrees with the highest grades or performance are awarded a “degree with honours.” kirk— a Scottish word meaning “church,” particularly one belonging to the Church of Scotland, a Protestant Christian denomination known in the United States as the Presbyterian Church. public school— in the United Kingdom, this is the term for a private, tuition-charging school that provided secondary education. In Fleming’s time, public school students were young men whose families were members of Britain’s upper or upper-middle classes.