The story of Penicillin, Streptomycin and Vitamin B12

within Glaxo Laboratories 1940-1951

W Bryan Emery

W B Emery was a chemist who received both medical and chemical fellowships for his clinical work and research on vitamin B12. As the only chemist in a party of four he travelled by flying boat to the USA in the last days of WWII where he recommended that Glaxo should produce penicillin following hybrid process from both Merck and Squib. He later introduced processes for streptomycin and vitamin B12 at Glaxo in Ulverston where he became the first General Manager. In 1965 he became Glaxo's Development Director at Greenford, ending his career at the subsidiary, Evans Medical as Production Director. He wrote this important history after he retired. He left his body to medical research.