Mabel Corrine Weatherly was born 30 October 1886 near Birmingham, AL. She was a well-known beauty in her day. She was described by her niece as "one of the most beautiful, most special ladies I have ever known - elegantly tall and slender with porcelain complexion and glorious, curly, red-gold hair. I fairly worshiped her for she always had time for me when I was a child."

In October 1941, she became ill with a cold and sore throat. Her family physician decided to try the new drug, penicillin, on her. On 22 October 1941, in Birmingham, AL, Mabel Weatherly became the first person in the United States to die of an allergic reaction to penicillin.

If you have information or questions, please e-mail George Morgan.

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