On October 4, 1949, Harry Crooks, Mildred Rebstock, John Controulis, and Quentin Bartz received U.S. Patent No. 2,483,885 on Nitrophenyl Acyl Amido Alkane Diols:

Dr. Mildred “Millie” Rebstock was a researcher working for Parke, Davis & Company when she was charged with synthesizing a new antibiotic discovered in a culture of Streptomyces venezuela. Dr. Rebstock and her team found a way to fully synthesize this antibiotic, which allowed it to be economically manufactured, rather than producing it organically through fermentation.  This was the first time that an antibiotic has been synthesized. The ready availability of chloromycetin as a result of Rebstock’s Team’s work allowed its use to treat Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Typhoid. It is still used today as a secondary treatment for extreme cases of meningitis, cholera, and other bacterial diseases. After chloromycetin was linked to an increased risk of aplastic anemia, its use dropped off in developed nations, but it is still so widely used in developing nations that the World Health Organization has it on its list of Essential Medicines.