Syphilis (historically called lues) is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that is caused by a spirochaete bacterium, Treponema pallidum. Syphilis has many alternate names, such as: Miss Siff, the Pox, and has been given many national attributions, e.g. the "French disease" or the "English disease". The route of transmission for syphilis is almost invariably by sexual contact; however, there are examples of direct contact infections (see yaws) and of congenital syphili ...

Including:

• Syphilis - History
• Syphilis - Stages of syphilis
• Syphilis - Primary syphilis
• Syphilis - Secondary syphilis
• Syphilis - Tertiary syphilis
• Syphilis - Latent syphilis
• Syphilis - Congenital syphilis
• Syphilis - Testing
• Syphilis - Treatment
• Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature

Read more here: » Syphilis: Encyclopedia - Syphilis

Different manifestations occur at each stage of the disease. Syphilis - Primary syphilis. Primary syphilis is manifested after an incubation period of 10-90 days (the average is 21 days) with a primary sore. During the initial incubation period, individuals are asymptomatic. The sore, called a chancre, is a firm, painless skin ulceration localized at the point of initial exposure to the bacterium, often on the penis, vagina or rectum. Local lymph node swelling can occur. The primary lesion may persist for 4 to 6 weeks and then heal spontaneously. ...

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Syphilis, Syphilis - History, Syphilis - Stages of syphilis, Syphilis - Primary syphilis, Syphilis - Secondary syphilis, Syphilis - Tertiary syphilis, Syphilis - Latent syphilis, Syphilis - Congenital syphilis, Syphilis - Testing, Syphilis - Treatment, Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature

Read more here: » Syphilis: Encyclopedia II - Syphilis - Stages of syphilis

There are two schools of thought on the origin of Syphilis: the Colombian and pre-Colombian theses. There are ongoing debates in anthropological and historical fields about the validity of either theory. The pre-Colombian theory holds that syphilis symptoms are described by Hippocrates in Classical Greece in its venereal/tertiary form. Some passages in the Bible could refer to syphilis, especially Exodus 20:5 where the sins of the father are visited unto the third and fourth generation. There are other suspected syphilis findings for ...

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Syphilis, Syphilis - History, Syphilis - Stages of syphilis, Syphilis - Primary syphilis, Syphilis - Secondary syphilis, Syphilis - Tertiary syphilis, Syphilis - Latent syphilis, Syphilis - Congenital syphilis, Syphilis - Testing, Syphilis - Treatment, Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature

Read more here: » Syphilis: Encyclopedia II - Syphilis - History

There were originally no effective treatments for syphilis. The most common in use were guaiacum and mercury: the use of mercury gave rise to the saying "A night in the arms of Venus leads to a lifetime on Mercury". Though no proper studies were done to prove it, mercury may have been an effective means to treat syphilis. It was administered multiple ways including by mouth and by rubbing it on the skin. One of the more fascinating methods was fumigation, in which the patient was placed in a closed box with their head sticking out. Mercury w ...

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Syphilis, Syphilis - History, Syphilis - Stages of syphilis, Syphilis - Primary syphilis, Syphilis - Secondary syphilis, Syphilis - Tertiary syphilis, Syphilis - Latent syphilis, Syphilis - Congenital syphilis, Syphilis - Testing, Syphilis - Treatment, Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature

Read more here: » Syphilis: Encyclopedia II - Syphilis - Treatment

It was only in the 20th century that effective tests and treatments for syphilis were developed. In 1906, the first effective test for syphilis, the Wassermann test, was developed. Although it had some false positive results, it was a major advance in the prevention of syphilis. By allowing testing before the acute symptoms of the disease had developed, this test allowed the prevention of the transmission of syphilis to others, even though it did not provide a cure for those infected. In the 1930s the Hinton test, developed by William Augustus Hinton, and based on flocculation, was shown to have fewer false po ...

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Syphilis, Syphilis - History, Syphilis - Stages of syphilis, Syphilis - Primary syphilis, Syphilis - Secondary syphilis, Syphilis - Tertiary syphilis, Syphilis - Latent syphilis, Syphilis - Congenital syphilis, Syphilis - Testing, Syphilis - Treatment, Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature

Read more here: » Syphilis: Encyclopedia II - Syphilis - Testing

There were originally no effective treatments for syphilis. The most common in use were guaiacum and mercury: the use of mercury gave rise to the saying "A night in the arms of Venus leads to a lifetime on Mercury". Though no well done studies were do to prove it, mercury may have been an effective means to treat syphilis. It was administered multiple ways including by mouth and by rubbing it on the skin. One of the more fascinating methods was fumigation, in which the patient was placed in a closed box with their head sicking out. Mercury w ...

See also:

Syphilis, Syphilis - History, Syphilis - Stages of syphilis, Syphilis - Primary syphilis, Syphilis - Secondary syphilis, Syphilis - Tertiary syphilis, Syphilis - Latent syphilis, Syphilis - Congenital syphilis, Syphilis - Testing, Syphilis - Treatment, Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature

Read more here: » Syphilis: Encyclopedia II - Syphilis - Treatment

In 1530, Girolamo Fracastoro, a physician and poet, wrote a poem from which syphilis derived its name. There are references to syphilis in William Shakespeare's play Measure for Measure, particularly in a number of early passages spoken by the character Lucio. For example, Lucio says "[...] thy bones are hollow"; this is a reference to the brittleness of bones engendered by the use of mercury which was then widely used to treat syphilis. Some critics have argued that the character of Edward Rochester's first wife, Bertha ...

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Syphilis, Syphilis - History, Syphilis - Stages of syphilis, Syphilis - Primary syphilis, Syphilis - Secondary syphilis, Syphilis - Tertiary syphilis, Syphilis - Latent syphilis, Syphilis - Congenital syphilis, Syphilis - Testing, Syphilis - Treatment, Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature

Read more here: » Syphilis: Encyclopedia II - Syphilis - Syphilis in art and literature