This thesis discusses the development of penicillin during World War II, made possible by a complex relationship between private industry, academic researchers, and government research facilities and funding. It also examines the media response to the emergence of penicillin, the wide-spread war-time preoccupation with venereal disease, and the discovery of the potency of penicillin in treating such illnesses. It argues that the societal importance of penicillin was leveraged by policy makers in the post-war period to expand government funding for medical research and the role of the US Public Health Service. This was part of an overall trend of post-war expansion in government. / History