CHAPTER XXVII. 



STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES (STREPTOCOCCUS ERYSIPE- 

 LATUS ; STREPTOCOCCUS OF PUS ; STREPTOCOCCUS 

 PATHOGENES LONGUS). 



THIS micrococcus was first observed by Koch in 

 stained sections of tissues attacked by septic processes, 

 and by Ogston in the pus of acute abscesses (1882). 

 It was obtained by Fehleisen (1883) in pure cultures 

 from a case of erysipelas, its cultural and pathological 

 characters studied and demonstrated by him to be 

 capable of producing erysipelas in man. Rosenbach 

 (1884) and Krause and Passet (1885) isolated the 

 streptococcus from the pus of acute abscesses and gave 

 it the name of streptococcus pyogenes. It has since 

 been proved to be one of the chief etiological factors 

 in the production of many suppurative inflammations. 

 Formerly the streptococci of erysipelas, acute abscesses, 

 septicaemia, puerperal fever, etc., were thought to be- 

 long to different species, because they were observed 

 to possess apparent differences in their biological and 

 pathological characteristics, according to the source 

 from which they were obtained. Thus one species of 

 streptococcus was believed to be capable of causing 

 erysipelas only, another only acute abscesses, another 

 sepsis, etc.; but it is now known that the slight differ- 

 ences between the majority of the streptococci growing 

 in long chains are but variations of one and the same 



