What did Robert Koch discover about wound infections in his 1878 experiments?

In his 1878 experiments regarding the etiology of wound infection, Robert Koch demonstrated that specific microorganisms are responsible for specific diseases. By inoculating animals with material from various sources, he successfully produced six distinct types of infection.1

He further proved these findings by transferring the infections through several different animal species, consistently reproducing the original six types of disease. Through this study, Koch observed that different host species exhibit varying levels of pathogenicity and demonstrated that the animal body serves as an effective apparatus for the cultivation of bacteria. These foundational experiments contributed to his broader work in bacteriology, eventually leading to the development of Koch’s postulates, which provide the criteria for proving that a specific organism causes a specific disease.1