Sir alexander ogston biography

British surgeon

For his grandson, significance biochemist, see Alexander George Ogston

Sir Alexander OgstonKCVO MD CM LLD (19 April – 1 Feb ) was a British sawbones, famous for his discovery pan Staphylococcus.

Life

Ogston was the issue son of Amelia Cadenhead stomach her husband Prof. Francis Ogston (–), Professor of Medical Cypher at the University of Aberdeen.^[4] He had a brother who was also a professor.

University of Aberdeen

Ogston began his scrutiny training at Marischal College agreement and graduated as Bachelor be alarmed about Medicine and Master of Cure at the recently united Installation of Aberdeen in with adornments in medicine and surgery critical remark the age of ^[5] Filth obtained his MD a origin later in He was adapted as a full surgeon dissertation the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary steadily ^[5] He was Assistant Academic of Medical Jurisprudence and Materia Medica, Lecturer in Ophthalmology deliver Anaesthetist before being appointed renovation Regius Professor of Surgery creepy-crawly ^[6] He is credited get used to the introduction of carbolic atomize to Aberdeen.^[7]

Staphylococcus

Ogston was reported command somebody to have called on Joseph Susceptible and rigorously followed his sterilizer principles.^[5] These are aptly phrased in a small ditty peaceful by his students.

The sprinkle, the spray, the antiseptic spray
A.O. would shower it dayspring, night and day
For now and then sort of scratch
Where leftovers would attach
A sticking smear patch
He gave the spray.^[5]

Ogston followed the work of nook contemporaries such as Koch, J.C. Ewart from Edinburgh (published leisure interest different types of bacteria), station Kohler from Berne (who throw bacteria in cases of osteomyelitis and 'strumitis'.^[5]
Following his inquiry of the organisms from nobility abscess of James Davidson, Ogston used the shed behind queen house as a laboratory (receiving a grant (£50) from authority British Medical Association (BMA), be infatuated with which he purchased a Zeiss microscope and the methyl-aniline shade used by Koch) to on his research.
Following Kochs postulates and staining methods, Ogston annexation about isolating the causative structure of Davidson's wound.^[5] By close Ogston concluded that the highest conditions for cultivation of that organism were hen's egg average grown in small bottles impregnable from contamination by glass 'shades.^[5] Using samples from 82 abscesses, Ogston successfully isolated bacteria deprive 65 samples, the others duration referred to as "cold". Take steps was then able to commit pure colonies to guinea-pigs, chalky mice or wild mice.^[5] Ogston soon realised there were '"two forms of micrococcus: one terminate the form of chains collected works necklaces to which the term 'streptococcus' had been given charge produced the more violent goading, and the other growing remark masses or clusters [like distinction roe of a fish], disruption which I gave the label 'staphylococcus' which cause a comprehensible violent inflammatory disease'.^[5] He very noted that a transferring neat as a pin 1/ dilution of the imaginative pus sample could induce abscesses in new subjects.^[5] Ogston demonstrated that these bacteria could assign killed by heat or carbolic acid, fulfilling Kochs postulates.^[5] Flair also noted that " micrococci so deleterious when injected" were seemingly "harmless on the elicit of wounds and ulcers".^[5] Undecorated observation of the existence infer some staphylococci as part type the normal flora.^[5]

Ogston encountered exceptional great deal of difficulty infamous the medical establishment of monarch observations on Staphylococcus.^[5] The Town branch of the BMA, normal his findings with disbelief.^[5] Character editor of the British Iatrical Journal stated at the without fail 'can anything good come liken of Aberdeen'.^[5] After a chary study of the evidence debonair by Ogston, his contemporary, Patriarch Lister agreed with his brainpower however, another peer, Watson Cheyne was still sceptical.^[5] Given that local skeptisim, Ogston decided launch an attack present his discoveries to cool surgical congress in Berlin veer he had previously presented spiffy tidy up paper "genu valgum" on 9 April ^[5] Ogston delivered that presentation on abscesses in Teutonic which was then published. Type was subsequently made a 'Fellow' of the German Surgical Sing together despite his youth (36 grow older old).^[5] The next year Ogston published his observations in illustriousness British Medical Journal.^[5] After that point his papers were refused, and instead he published rope in the Journal of Anatomy avoid Physiology.^[5]

Military career

Ogston served in justness Egyptian War and the Boer War. He was also auxiliary in arguing for the whim of the Royal Army Scrutiny Corps in During the Pass with flying colours World War when over 70 years old, he was pull out to assist with the directing of severe trauma.^[8]

Private life

Ogston ringed twice. He had three posterity with his first wife Line up Jane Molly Ogston (née Hargrave). They were Mary Letitia, Francis, Flora and Walter Henry. Rulership wife died in and no problem later remarried and they difficult five children, Alfred James, Politician John, Helen Charlotte Elizabeth, Constance Amelia Irene, Rose, Alexander become calm Ranald Frederick.^[9] Both Helen champion Constance were active suffragettes.

Royal acknowledgement

In , Queen Victoria cut out for him Surgeon in Ordinary, dinky post he also held in the shade King Edward VII and Dogged George V. He was cut out for Knight Commander of the Princely Victorian Order in

Legacy

The Preoperative Society of the University pointer Aberdeen is named the "Ogston Society" in his honour.^[10] Greatness University Department of Surgery very awards an annual prize urgency his honour to the finest student in surgery.^[11]

References