tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">CHAPTER I
The History of Syphilis11

CHAPTER II
Syphilis as a Social Problem15

CHAPTER III
The Nature and Course of Syphilis21
The Prevalence of Syphilis24
The Primary Stage26

CHAPTER IV
The Nature and Course of Syphilis (Continued)35
The Secondary Stage35

CHAPTER V
The Nature and Course of Syphilis (Continued)45
Late Syphilis (Tertiary Stage)45

CHAPTER VI
The Blood Test for Syphilis54

CHAPTER VII
The Treatment of Syphilis60
General Considerations60
Mercury62

CHAPTER VIII
The Treatment of Syphilis (Continued)70
Salvarsan70

CHAPTER IX
The Cure of Syphilis80

CHAPTER X
Hereditary Syphilis92

CHAPTER XI
The Transmission and Hygiene of Syphilis109

CHAPTER XII
The Transmission and Hygiene of Syphilis (Continued)121
The Control of Infectiousness in Syphilis121
Syphilis and Marriage125

CHAPTER XIII
The Transmission and Hygiene of Syphilis (Continued)133
Syphilis and Prostitution133
Personal Hygiene of Syphilis136

CHAPTER XIV
Mental Attitudes in Their Relation to Syphilis141

CHAPTER XV
Moral and Personal Prophylaxis156

CHAPTER XVI
Public Effort Against Syphilis164

Index187

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

•  Page
• Paul Ehrlich [1854-1915]70
• Fritz Schaudinn [1871-1906]112
• E. Roux160
• Élie Metchnikoff [1845-1916]160

The Third Great Plague

Chapter I

The History of Syphilis

Syphilis has a remarkable history,[1] about which it is worth while to say a few words. Many people think of the disease as at least as old as the Bible, and as having been one of the conditions included under the old idea of leprosy. Our growing knowledge of medical history, however, and the finding of new records of the disease, have shown this view to be in all probability a mistake. Syphilis was unknown in Europe until the return of Columbus and his sailors from America, and its progress over the civilized world can be traced step by step, or better, in leaps and bounds, from that date. It came from the island of Haiti, in which it was prevalent at the time the discoverers of America landed there, and the return of