As Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors! Courtesy of www.DoctorTreatments.com |
|
and please share with your online friends.
Pox - Syphilis.The attempt to fix the date and locality at which the disease originated has not met with much success. It seems certain that the disease was known in the time of Moses, since in the Fifth Book of Moses an ailment is described which was apparently a manifestation of syphilis. It is quite certain that the disease was known to physicians several centuries before Christ ; and it has been ever since one of the recognized affections of human patients. It seems also quite certain that syphilis was present among the ancient tribes of America, before the invasion of the continent by the whites. In the middle ages syphilis was extremely prevalent, so that at the end of the fifteenth century the disease ravaged the population of Europe like an epidemic of smallpox. With occasional slight exceptions, syphilis is known wherever man has set his foot. In a few remote and isolated spots syphilis is still unknown, or has been introduced within the last few decades. The following account of the geographical distribution of syphilis is taken largely from Zeissl's text book of syphilitic diseases. The disease is more prevalent on the shores of the East and North sea and in Jutland, and around the shores of the Mediterranean, than in certain parts in the interior of the European Continent. In the Faro Islands, on the other hand, syphilis was unknown until the year 1844; and in Iceland the disease was not found until quite recently. This latter fact is very remarkable, since between two and three hundred ships from different parts of Europe visit Iceland every year, and many of them remain in the harbors during the entire summer. There is evidently opportunity enough for the communication of the disease to the inhabitants of the island, since sailors furnish probably a larger percentage of sufferers from syphilis than any other class of society. The disease is prevalent throughout Europe, especially in the capitals. Certain provinces are especially afflicted ; among these are Galicia, Iberia and the provinces around the Adriatic. In Southern Asia - Palestine, Arabia and Persia - syphilis prevails to an unusual extent. It is especially frequent among those people who are brought into contact with Europeans. In Syria the disease has been known only since an invasion by Turkish troops. In Australia, and most of the islands of the Pacific, the disease has been introduced by white settlers. During the latter half of the last century many of the Pacific islands were devastated by syphilis obtained from the sailors of Captain Cook's expedition. Syphilis is especially virulent and deadly when it is introduced into a community for the first time. This has been well illustrated in the history of the Sandwich Islands. For some time after these islands had received a considerable white population syphilis remained almost unknown, so far, at least, as the natives were concerned ; but as the islands acquired commercial importance, and were more frequently visited by vessels, the disease was introduced by sailors among the native population. The result was a frightful epidemic of syphilis, in which many lives were lost and many individuals mutilated for life. The white population, however, suffered no more from it than the whites of Europe or America - showing the difference between the effects of the disease when freshly introduced to a people unacquainted with it. In America syphilis seems to be extensively distributed. It is most virulent and frequent in Mexico, Central America and some of the islands of the West Indies. It is also frequent in several of the countries of South America. It appears, therefore, that syphilis is one and the same disease over the entire world. It is communicated wherever introduced, without regard to differences in race or color. It is however noteworthy that in Iceland and Central Africa the disease finds no foothold. It would seem at first as if its absence from the inhabitants of Central Africa might be due to the absence of exposure to the disease, since but few whites ever penetrate this region ; but the fact is, that the negroes of the interior of Africa are in constant communication with those of the coast, and that these latter are afflicted with syphilis to a great extent. As to the influence of climate upon the virulence of syphilis but little information has been acquired. It is by some maintained that the course of the disease is milder in warm climates than in colder ones ; yet this seems to be by no means established. It seems, however, to be the fact that syphilis runs a milder course in those regions where the climate is uniform and even, while its course is more severe - other things being equal - in countries where the climate exhibits sudden and extreme changes of temperature and of moisture. Yet the extent and severity of syphilis is determined largely by the social and sanitary conditions of a people. The most favorable conditions of climate are powerless to prevent the prevalence of syphilis where filth, poverty, ignorance and a neglect of sanitary regulations prevail. This is brilliantly shown in the eastern provinces of Austria. Although this region enjoys a wonderfully mild and beautiful climate, thanks to the filth and ignorance of the inhabitants, syphilis prevails to an appalling extent. The young men go to other countries as soldiers or sailors, and bring syphilis with them on their return, and, of course, communicate it in their homes. Another feature which promotes wonderfully the spread of syphilis is an unsettled condition of society. It is notorious that a political upheaval - such as a war or revolution-is followed by marked increase in the extent and severity of syphilis. This has been often and amply shown, though never more strikingly than in the history of France, from the time of the Revolution to the battle of Waterloo. The moral culture of a people has, of course, considerable influence upon the prevalence of the disease ; though just what that" influence is, it is somewhat difficult to say, since the centers of civilization- the European capitals-are, without exception, hotbeds for the propagation of syphilis. Doubtless the dissemination of the disease is favored also by the high-pressure method of living, which is now so fashionable throughout the world, especially in America. The necessity of attaining a certain rank and standing in society before entering upon matrimony, acts, of course, as an agency in spreading the disease among young people of both sexes. The course of syphilis is divided, for convenience, into several stages ox periods; these are usually designated primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary stage begins with the first manifestation of the disease, which is, in almost all cases, a sore at the point of contact with the diseased individual from whom the contagion was obtained. This sore usually occurs upon the genitals, but may be found upon any part of the body. The next most frequent point of infection is the mouth, and after this the nipples of women. This sore, and the swelling of the neighboring glands which or dinarily accompanies it, lasts without other symptoms from three to six weeks. At the end of this time other symptoms make themselves manifest, marking the beginning of the second stage of the disease. The secondary period begins from the seventh to the twentieth week of the disease. Its onset is indicated by an eruption on the skin and by sores in the throat and mouth. After this the glands swell in different parts of the body, and there may appear later anyone or more of several eruptions which are characteristic of this disease. The tertiary, or third stage of syphilis, manifests itself at or after the sixth month by the occurrence of lumps in the skin and in the bones. Several eruptions are also observed on the skin during this stage of the disease. The duration of this period is very indefinite ; in some cases most of the symptoms disappear in eighteen months or two years. But unless the circumstances be peculiarly favorable the individual is rarely entirely relieved from manifestations of the disease for several years after this period, and even then has no assurance that he will be spared further attacks. It is customary to speak of the secondary and tertiary stages of the disease as constitutional syphilis, because the symptoms constituting these stages show that the syphilitic virus or poison has been taken into the system and has modified the vital functions of the individual. The sore through which the syphilitic material enters the body and which constitutes the first evidence of syphilitic infection is called the " primary sore " or chancre. Symptoms.-In order that an individual shallacquire syphilis it is necessary first that he come into contact, direct or indirect, with an individual already affected with the disease. By indirect contact we mean that some of the secretions from a diseased individual may be brought to a healthy one through the medium of some inanimate object, such as a pipe or a towel. Many instances are on record in which the disease has been acquired in this way. A man has for example smoked a pipe which had been recently held between the lips of a syphilitic person, and has in this way taken into his mouth some of the contagious material which was present in the saliva of the latter individual. So, too, a towel which has been employed by a person suffering from some of the syphilitic eruptions on the skin, may contain in its meshes the contagious virus, and when applied to the skin of a second person may deposit some of this poison upon him. It is of course needless to enumerate all of the ways in which the contagion of syphilis may be thus indirectly transferred, and through which a person may innocently acquire this formidable disease. But this alone does not suffice to communicate syphilis ; for the virus is incapable of penetrating the skin or mucous membranes so long as these are uninjured and perfect. In order that the poison may be taken up into the system, it is necessary that there be some opening through the skin or mucous membrane ; that is, that the outer or horny layer of the skin should be scratched off or perforated. Yet the slightest opening through the skin - a scratch with the nail or even the prick of a pin - is sufficient to afford access of the virus to the body. It is evident, therefore, that the only security against infection consists in absolutely avoiding all contact with the diseased individual. Physicians are in the habit of touching and handling syphilitic sores, both primary and secondary, and they are usually enabled to do this with safety - always, indeed, so long as there are no cracks nor abrasions on the fingers. Yet it occasionally happens that a physician acquires the disease through examination of an individual with the fingers ; and this is especially apt to occur in cases where he is not aware of the fact that his patient is syphilitic, since under these circumstances he is not so careful to inspect the condition of the skin on his finger before bringing it in contact with the surface to be examined. So, too, the kiss of a syphilitic individual involves no terror to a healthy person, so long as the mucous membrane of the latter's lips and mouth is perfect and uninjured ; yet since there are often, or nearly always, slight fissures and abrasions on the lips, it frequently happens that the disease is communicated simply by a kiss. The most frequent method of communication is, of course, by sexual intercourse. For if the disease manifest itself anywhere on the body, it is pretty certain to appear on the genitals ; the source of the infection is, therefore, provided by the organs of the diseased individual. Since the act is almost always accompanied by more or lefss severe abrasions of the parts, it probably rarely happens that a healthy individual escapes contagion if he indulge in intercourse with a diseased person. This statement applies, of course, to those stages of the disease in which syphilis is contagious ; as will be hereafter described, there is a time in the history of a syphilitic individual - the so-called tertiary period-when the disease seems to have expended its force, at least so far as communicability is concerned ; during this period the individual is rarely, if ever, capable* of communicating the disease. That syphilis can be and is communicated from one individual to another has been amply proven by direct inoculation as well as by the observation of patients. In the last half century there have been found numerous physicians who were sufficiently devoted to the cause of science to submit themselves voluntarily to inoculation with syphilis in order to decide certain disputed points ; and there have been instances in which patients also have undergone a like inoculation. After exposure to syphilitic contagion - that is after contact with a syphilitic individual - several days or weeks may elapse before evidences of the disease are manifest. If the infection have taken place through the skin or mucous membrane of the genitals - the usual mode - a slight abrasion or scratch may be the only sign that there has been a possibility of contagion. In many cases the patient does not observe anything wrong with the parts for two or three weeks after exposure ; in other instances he may notice a slight sore, which perhaps heals in a few days without treatment, or in other cases resists somewhat obstinately the ordinary household means. At the expiration of two or three weeks the patient's attention is usually attracted to a small shallow sore, which is not particularly painful, in fact often gives him no physical annoyance whatever. But if the sore spot on the skin be gently pressed between the finger and thumb, it will be noticed that this piece of skin is very hard; one gets the same sensation through the finger as is given by compressing the point of the nose. This means syphilis. There are, it is true, cases in which the skin surrounding a sore that is not of syphilitic nature is somewhat hard ; yet, in the great majority of cases, it will be found that such a sore will be followed, in a few weeks, by all the signs of constitutional syphilis. Aside from this hardness the primary sore of syphilis - the chancre - does not present any marked symptoms. It is usually of small extent not more than a quarter, or at most a half, inch in diameter, and often smaller than this ; there is but little matter secreted by it, and it does not occasion any particular pain. In fact, were it not the harbinger of one of the most dreadful diseases with which we are acquainted, this sore would be quite an insignificant affair. It is not nearly so large nor so troublesome as the other sore which is often obtained from impure intercourse - the venereal ulcer or chancroidy to be presently described. Soon after the sore makes itself manifest, it will be observed that the glands in the groin - on one or both sides of the body - are somewhat enlarged, and very hard. In the healthy individual the glands in the groin can usually be felt only upon somewhat firm pressure ; and even then they feel about the size of beans. So soon however as the syphilitic sore is developed upon the genitals, these glands in the groin become much larger, so that they can be felt upon the slightest touch, and may even be visible to the eye as enlargements under the skin. Sometimes it is possible to trace a thick, hard cord which begins somewhere in the vicinity of the sore, and passes along the parts into the enlarged glands in the groin. This string marks the position of the lympathic vessel, that is the channel along which the poison has passed from the sore to the glands in the groin. This sore or cancer is very obstinate, and may resist all treatment for several weeks. This is, however, a matter of slight consequence, since it rarely gives much pain, as has been already remarked. While the primary sore of syphilis is usually situated upon the genitals, it may be found in other situations. Perhaps the most frequent location next to that mentioned is the lip, where it appears almost invariably as the result of a kiss. It may be well in this connection to enter a most emphatic protest against the almost universal habit of submitting children for promiscuous kissing to strangers as well as to friends, for syphilis is not confined to the out casts from society nor to the lower classes ; it finds its way into the very best society, and is no respecter of persons, of innocence, nor of youth. This habit of indiscriminate kissing is as repulsive as it is useless and dangerous, and many a life has been blighted in childhood or even infancy, by a kiss which was given and taken only out of regard for this useless custom. It is well, too, to remember that the susceptibility to the disease does not cease with infancy ; that a flirtation which proceeds to the kissing point may ruin a girl's happiness for life. It has fallen to the lot of every physician who practices in a large city, to see cases in which young and innocent girls have contracted the disease by simply permitting a kiss. It would be supposed that a man who knew himself to be suffering from the disease would carefully abstain from kissing, simply for the sake of the other person ; but some of these individuals are not aware of the fact that they can communicate the disease in this way ; others doubtless think themselves cured, and while aware that syphilis can be communicated by a kiss, do not suppose that they are in a condition to thus communicate the disease. Then there are, of course, some who are perfectly regardless of the interests of others, and take no precautions at all in the matter. We have just called attention to the fact that children, or even infants, sometimes contract the disease from the kisses bestowed by adults. It should also be remarked that there is danger for the adults as 'well, though not so frequently perhaps as in the former way, for children are sometimes born with syphilis derived from their parents, and in many cases they can communicate the disease as thoroughly as the most abandoned rake. It is from such children that wet-nurses frequently contract the disease. In this case the primary sore of syphilis appears on the nipple of the nurse. Occasionally the chancre is observed upon the cheek, the tongue or the finger. In fact, it may be found wherever there has been contact with a diseased person. In women the primary sore is often located on the external genitals, where it can readily be detected by the eye ; but in other cases the sore is situated in the vagina, or at the mouth of the womb. In this situation it will be discovered only by a careful examination by a physician; indeed, there are instances in which the sore is located at some point inaccessible to the eye. This is a point to be remembered in private practice as well as in the treatment of prostitutes, for it constitutes one argument - a small one perhaps - against the legalization of prostitution. For it ii evident that if a woman's freedom from this disease can be assured only after the most careful and searching examination by a physician, the ordinary hasty and incomplete examination gives no security of her harmlessness, notwithstanding the physician's certificate to that effect. In fact, in the European capitals where prostitutes are licensed, cases are frequently met in which the disease has been communicated by a woman who had submitted to the usual examination and had been pronounced free from syphilis. The primary sore usually lasts at least a month and more frequently two, three or four months before it is entirely healed ; indeed, instances are known in which the sore persisted for six months and even a year before healing. Even after the skin has grown over the sore, the characteristic hardness of the part-to which attention has been already drawn - persists for some weeks or months. So soon as the first rash appears on the skin, usually six or eight weeks after the contraction of the disease, the sore and the hardened base around it become smaller and show signs of disap pearing. The site of this sore is marked by a scar which usually persists for years. As a rule an individual acquires a chancre - that is, syphilis - but once in a lifetime, no matter how many times he may be exposed to contagion. The reason seems to be that the disease in most cases remains permanently in the system. Yet it must not be inferred that syphilis is an incurable disease ; on the contrary, instances enough are known in which the patient recovered under treatment so as to be entirely free from all subsequent manifestations of disease ; indeed, they have in some cases given the best possible proof tiiat they were cured, by going and contracting the disease a second time. Zeissl, the great Viennese authority of syphilis, has himself seen almost a score of cases in which the disease had been contracted twice by the same individual. As occasional means for the transfer of the syphilitic material, there should be mentioned childbirth, surgical operations, dentistry, and the use of a common toilet room. While these means are sometimes instrumental in communicating the disease, yet such instances are doubtless infrequent. The glands lying next to the primary sore become enlarged and slightly tender soon after this sore makes its appearance. If the chancre be located on the genitals - the usual situation - the glands in the groins are the first to become swollen ; if the primary sore be located on the lip or cheek, or in the mouth, the glands at the angle of the jaw and at the side of the neck become enlarged ; when the sore is located on the nipple the glands under the arm become enlarged. These glands, although swollen, are not usually very tender and rarely suppurate or produce matter. In the course of a few weeks the glands become swollen throughout the body; even if the sore be in the usual situation it will be found that the glands of the neck are somewhat enlarged. This enlargement of the glands is one of the most persistent symptoms of syphilis, and one which may betray the individual to an expert physician long after the skin eruptions and the usual signs of syphilis have disappeared. But first, if you want to come back to this web site again, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy! Also, please consider sharing our helpful website with your online friends.
|