The History of Syphilis Essay Example

The outbreak of Syphilis in Europe from 1493 to the 19th Century devastated multiple populations across the continent. It is said that this nasty disease originated in the army of Charles VIII when France invaded Naples. Syphilis back then was known as Grande Verole or the great pox. Although it didn’t have the horrendous mortality of the bubonic plague, its symptoms were painful and repulsive. Syphilis appeared on the body in the form of genital sores, abscesses, and ulcers. Medicine at the time was still a work in progress, making this disease quite deadly. Syphilis continues to be relevant today. World War I and World War II were heavily affected by Syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections. There are different beliefs that Christopher Columbus’s expedition to the Americas spread the disease even further.

Syphilis was thought to have reared its ugly head in Europe during the 15th Century. However, Europeans were aware of a sexually transmitted disease's implications but did nothing about it. Instead, they decided to blame Syphilis and other conditions on witchcraft. Respect for women at this time was low, and any odd occurrence would result in the townspeople picking someone to blame. "It would be wrong to suggest that witchcraft was not taken seriously before 1500"(Ross Pg. 1). People were very superstitious during the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. There was the Salem Witch Trials, which claimed many innocent lives. However, the reason why Syphilis spread so quickly was because of the military. Soldiers, desperate for pleasure, committed atrocities such as rape and other violent sexual acts when passing through villages. As I mentioned before, Syphilis was thought to have "broken out" when Charles VIII of Spain and his men fought in Italy. The conditions in which the men were living in contributed to the spread of the virus.

Hygiene had a prominent role in the spread of Syphilis during the 19th Century in Europe. Many babies were being born in unethical conditions throughout Europe. So much so that their mothers gave them away or died at birth. The babies would end up in the care of a wet nurse. These were women that would bring these unwanted/abandoned children into their home and would nurse them. Unfortunately, these nurses often had more than one child to care for, allowing disease to run rampant. "Officials also recognized that hygienic conditions in the foundling homes were inferior to those outside; the large number of babies sharing a limited number of wetnurses quickly passed diseases around. Moreover, officials complained that the poor women who could be inducted into wetnurse services in the foundling homes lacked the robust and healthy condition necessary to ensure adequate nutrition for the infants"(Kertzer Pg. 1). Without proper care, these babies would succumb to what we know as the common cold, but in more severe cases, the baby might have contracted Syphilis from their mother. This was fairly prevalent as the conditions in which adults were sexually active were quite frankly disgusting. There was no regard for sexual safety or health, and the product of that was Syphilis. Without proper standards for hygiene, disease quickly spread throughout homes and villages. We saw this with the Bubonic Plague and the Black Death in England.