DR. F W. MOTT'S PAPER -387 



the Public Health, including Congenital Syphilis," 

 and I presented a large number of family histories 

 upon which the before-mentioned conclusions were 

 based. 



It is appalling f to think what a number of adults 

 there would be suffering from the effects of congenital 

 syphilis if it were not so fatal to the developing 

 embryo and to the offspring in early life. Con- 

 sequently all the while this disease is prevalent and 

 no measures are taken to prevent its spread, as is 

 the case with other infectious diseases, the high 

 infant mortality from this cause is a fortunate 

 circumstance. 



RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN MEDICAL SCIENCE 

 CONCERNING CONGENITAL AND ACQUIRED SYPHILIS. 



There is considerable evidence to show that a 

 large number of infants apparently healthy are really 

 infected, and should be treated to prevent them 

 suffering with disease later in life. You may ask : 

 How do you know this ? There is a blood test called, 

 after its originator, the Wassermann reaction, which 

 enables one by examination of a very small quantity 

 of blood to say whether the syphilitic organism is in 

 the body and active. This reaction disappears with 

 suitable medications which kill the Spirochceta pallida, 

 the infective agent of syphilis. All mothers of con- 

 genital syphilitic children give this Wassermann 

 reaction ; therefore, not only have we in this reaction 

 a means of ascertaining whether the apparently 

 healthy but suspected infant should be treated to 

 prevent it developing serious diseases very often 

 incurable in later life but also examination of the 

 blood of the suspect but apparently perfectly healthy 

 mother will enable treatment to be applied to her 

 which will lead to the birth of healthy, uninfected 

 children. I could cite many examples of this; also 



