. ▁dissol ving ) ▁certain ▁b acter ia , ▁particularly ▁a ▁yellow ▁" c oc cus " ▁that ▁he ▁studied ". ▁F lem ing ▁first ▁observed ▁the ▁ant ib acter ial ▁action ▁of ▁ly so zym e ▁when ▁he ▁treated ▁b acter ial ▁cult ures ▁with ▁nas al ▁m uc us ▁from ▁a ▁patient ▁suffering ▁from ▁a ▁head ▁cold . ▁ ▁Ly so zym e ▁was ▁first ▁cry st all ised ▁by ▁Edward ▁Abraham ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 7 , ▁en abling ▁the ▁three - dimensional ▁structure ▁of ▁hen ▁egg ▁white ▁ly so zym e ▁to ▁be ▁described ▁by ▁David ▁Ch il ton ▁Phill ips ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 5 , ▁when ▁he ▁obtained ▁the ▁first ▁ 2 - ång ström ▁( 2 0 0 ▁pm ) ▁resolution ▁model ▁via ▁X - ray ▁cry stal log raph y . ▁ ▁The ▁structure ▁was ▁public ly ▁presented ▁at ▁a ▁Royal ▁Institution ▁lecture ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 5 . ▁Ly so zym e ▁was ▁the ▁second ▁protein ▁structure ▁and ▁the ▁first ▁en zym e ▁structure ▁to ▁be ▁solved ▁via ▁X - ray ▁diff raction ▁methods , ▁and ▁the ▁first ▁en zym e ▁to ▁be ▁fully ▁sequ enced ▁that ▁contains ▁all ▁twenty ▁common ▁am ino ▁ac ids . ▁As ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁Phill ips ' ▁el uc id ation ▁of ▁the ▁structure ▁of ▁ly so zym e , ▁it ▁was ▁also ▁the ▁first ▁en zym e ▁to ▁have ▁a ▁detailed , ▁specific ▁mechanism ▁suggested ▁for ▁its ▁method ▁of ▁catal yt ic ▁action .