SYPHILIS RECENT HISTORY 49 



evidence of Spanish physicians and historians at the time of the 

 return of Columbus; and the severity of the great epidemic 

 in the latter part of the 15th century, it being almost in- 

 variable for an infectious disease, when first introduced among a 

 new people, to rage with unwonted severity; all these facts 

 point strongly to the American origin of syphilis. 



Interesting as is the early history of the disease, the recent 

 history is infinitely more so. By the beginning of the twentieth 

 century medical men had come to the end of their rope in knowl- 

 edge and treatment of the disease, and found themselves at a 

 standstill. But in 1902 the disease was successfully transmitted 

 to animals where it could be conveniently studied; in 1905 

 Schaudinn discovered the spirochsete, Spirochceta (or Treponema) 

 pallida (Fig. 5C), which is believed to cause the disease. In 

 1906 Wassermann demonstrated the possibility of detecting 

 latent syphilis by the reaction which bears his name; in 1910 

 Ehrlich made the epoch-making discovery of his famous drug, 

 " No. 606," or salvarsan, a deadly poison for spirochsetes of all 

 kinds, and a cure for syphilis in nearly all stages; in 1913 the 

 direct relation of syphilis to insanity, paralysis and other diseased 

 conditions of the central nervous system was demonstrated by 

 the discovery of the organisms in the cerebrospinal fluid, and in 

 the same year a method of destroying the parasites in the central 

 nervous system was discovered. There is no other instance in 

 the history of medical science where such wonderful strides 

 have been made in such a short time in the knowledge and control 

 of a disease. At the beginning of the twentieth century syphilis 

 was one of the most horrible, hopeless and tragic diseases known 

 to ravage the human body; it is now a disease which can be 

 readily recognized even in latent stages; it can be cured in its 

 early stages; and the terrible tragedies resulting from apparent 

 but imperfect cure can be avoided. Its eradication, however, 

 will not soon, if ever, be accomplished, since in this are involved 

 some of the most intricate moral and social questions with which 

 we have to deal. 



Prevalence. The prevalence of syphilis is difficult to de- 

 termine for at present the recording of syphilitic cases is prac- 

 ticed to a very slight extent, and accurate data can be obtained 

 only in military organizations and certain public and private 

 institutions. Sir William Osier places syphilis as third or fourth 



