The Health bulletin [serial] - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

20 The Health Bulletin March, 1927
SYPHILIS
By WILLIAM S. ROBERTSON, M.D.
Sjphilis is a chronic, infectious and
contagious disease caused by a germ
known ns the troponema pallidum. Once
this germ has gained entrance to the
body it is carried by the lymph and
blood to every organ ;
there is no part
of the body it does not invade except
the enamel of the teeth.
Contracting the
Disease
The disease may be contracted in one
of three ways. First and most commoidy,
by actual contact with an infected
person ; second, by inheritance
(congenital form) ; third (v^iry rare),
by contact with some object which has
been contaminated by a syphilitic person
such as a cup, pipe, towel or food.
Acquiring syphilis by actual contact
with a syphilitic does not necessarily
imply immorality. Many cases are
transmitted in kissing ; many an innocent
partner in wedlock has been infected
following the infidelity of the
other. Inherited syphilis may be evident
at birth or there may be no
symptoms until years after, the disease
then appearing in the late or tertiary
form. However contracted, syphilis
runs virtually the same course, the
tendency being to exhibit periods of
latency (inactivity) followed by periods
of relapse (activity). There is no disease
which it may not resemble closely.
In fact, there are thousands being
treated today for one thing and another,
whereas the real cause of their
ill health is syphilis. So true is this
that there is an old saying among
physicians: "When the patient doesn't
get well, treat syphilis." It is surprising
how many patients in whom
syphilis has not been suspected, DO
improve when antisyphilitic treatment
is administered.
For convenience, the disease is described
as occurring in three stages:
Primary or first, Secondary or second,
and Tertiary or third ; however, these
stages are all one and the same disease.
The First Stage of Syphilis
The first or PRIMARY stage is seen
as a small red spot, pimple or ulcer,
known as a chancre or hard chancre.
This is painless and may be unobserved
by the patient. It sometimes disappears
without treatment. When this sore first
appears, blood tests to determine its
nature are valueless because not enough
of the syphilitic poison gains entrance
to the circulation in the early weeks
to. enable its detection in the laboratory.
However, secretions from this sore will
be found to contain the germ if examined
under the microscope. This is
the most favorable time for beginning
treatment and if the disease is diagnosed
at this stage, the chances of an
ultimate cure are greatly increased, provided
treatment is begun at once. If the
case receives medical attention at this
stage there should be no further progress
of the disease, but the infected
person should be kept under medical
supervision even in these early cases
for a period of months and perhaps
years.
The Second Stage of
Syphilis
If the primary stage or chancre is
not diagnosed and treated, there appears
in from four to eight weeks time
various kinds of skin eruptions, headache,
joint pains, sore throat and
mouth, falling of hair, fever, swelling
of the .glands, etc. This group of symptoms
is known as the SECONDARY
stage. These symptoms may be very
sli.ght and in some instances may be
even absent entirely. On this account
the SECOND STAGE SOMETIMES
ESCAPES THE PATIENTS NOTICE.
The secondary stage requires energetic
and persistent treatment which rapidly
removes the symptoms, but disappearance
of the OUTWARD evidences of
syphilis by no means indicates that the
individual may safely discontinue treatment.
A mistake often made is the assumption
by the patient that the disappearance
of the symptoms means a
cure.