Tag Archives: streptococcus group A bacterium

Dr. Gerhard Domagk and prontosil: Dyeing beats dying

Howard Fischer Uppsala, Sweden   “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein   Erysipelas infection in face due to streptococcal bacteria. Photo by CDC/Dr. Thomas F. Sellers, Emory University, 1963. CDC Public Health Image Library. Public domain. Dr. Gerhard Domagk (1895–1964) was a German pathologist […]

“Scarlet letters” — The depiction of scarlet fever in literature

Emily Boyle Dublin, Ireland   Fig 1. Image from page 291 of Diseases of children for nurses. by Robert Shelmerdine McCombs. 1911. Internet Archive. Scarlet fever, named for the erythematous skin rash that may accompany streptococcal infections (Fig 1), is often considered a disease of Victorian times. Associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality […]