Baby Patricia Malone did die , a few months after her plight made PENICILLIN world famous overnight

In May 1944, Charles Davis, one of the reporters from the Hearst newspaper that got the initial penicillin to Patty's bedside in August 1943, brought readers across America up to date on Patty after his editor won the Pulitzer prize for reporting for the paper's efforts.

He revealed that six weeks after she was mere hours from death, she was released from the Lutheran Hospital, and I think the photo reveals she indeed does look radiant in her new bonnet.

But exactly three months later, (Davis says two months but I am going from death records for the only 2 year old named Patricia Malone dying in NY in late 1943) her weakened heart gave out and she died without any media attention.

A sad ending to a story I have been chasing for a long long time.

Allies : tell the NAZIS how to synthesis Penicillin --- but for God's Sake don't tell'em that it pulled kiddies back from the grave !

Probably the most widely available Allied scientific journal around the world during WWII was THE LANCET.

The fear of death being common to dictator and democrat, socialist and fascist alike, all leaders and elites welcomed the hints for prolonging life that the world's leading medical journal might provide even (or particularly) in wartime.

So in April or May 1943, a Nazi or Japanese diplomat in any neutral country could easily get a look at the March 27th 1943 copy of THE LANCET from some friendly doctor and see in it a lead editorial article all about the great progress made in the chemical synthesis of the natural antibiotic penicillin.

Penicillin Baby little Patty Malone

A published report says that two and a half year old Patty Malone died a few weeks after first receiving some history-changing penicillin in an Manhattan hospital on August 11th 1943.

However I found a photo showing her leaving hospital looking great 6 weeks later.

Today I came across a partial record for a two year old named Patricia Malone who did die in December 21st 1943 in a Manhattan hospital, ie possibly Patty's life was only prolonged for 4 1/2 more months.

It could be our penicillin baby- I checking it out - if so , a very unhappy ending for her two parents and bigger sister ....