1881

Scottish surgeon Alexander Ogston discovers staphylococcus as specific bacterium that can cause disease and linked to hospital sepsis (Altman, 180-181; Brock, 80). In 1883, Swiss surgeon Carl Garré, via self-experiments, shows that the same staphylococcus can cause simple skin abscesses and fatal osteomyelitis (Altman, 188-190). In mid-1950s, epidemics of postsurgical wound infections caused by penicillin-resistant strains of staphylococci; Dr. Stephen Elek's self-experiments established relationship between staphylococci and wound infections via surgical sutures, which drastically reduced minimum dose of staphylococci needed to produce infection (Altman, 191-195).  In 1980, first report of toxic shock syndrome (shown to be another name for staphylococcal [not streptococcal] scarlet fever from Rely Tampons, owing to a toxin produced by staphylococci (Atman, 195-199).