EXTRACT XXXVII. 

 ON SYPHILIS AND GONORRHCEA. 



THE former of these diseases, syphilis, is one of the 

 greatest scourges to which modern civilised man, and from 

 him barbaric man, is liable ; we say modern because, so 

 far as investigation of the incidence of the disease in or 

 amongst ancient civilised races has been carried, it is not 

 possible for us to assume beyond doubt that it had any 

 existence ; at any rate, archaeologically we come across no 

 particularly definite trace of it, unless we extract a hidden 

 meaning referring to it and other diseases of an allied 

 nature from such Biblical expressions as that "the sins of 

 the father" shall be transmitted to or visited upon his 

 offspring " to the third and fourth generation" and this, 

 no doubt, would very exactly express our experience and 

 present state of knowledge on the subject. We, however, 

 forbear from entering into a discussion of its historical 

 bearings, and would rather advance some views emanating 

 from our study of the disease in the light of the ideas of 

 which we have become possessed in relation to its neuro- 

 logical bearings. 



The view that the disease is bacterial in origin is now 



O 



largely held and taught, it behoves us, therefore, while 

 investigating the subject of its materies morbi, to study 

 and discover the lines along which it delivers its attacks, 

 so as to be prepared to devise a rational and scientific 

 prophylaxis, as well as a successful curative treatment. 



The inoculation of the specific disease having been 

 effected, and absorption of the virus having taken place, 



