SYPHILIS IN THE THIRD GENERATION 301 



patient afflicted witli rachitism, the various intellectually feeble 

 victims of heredito-syphilis, from the simply " backward " child 

 to the imbecile and the idiot. Thus, between syphilis and 

 degeneracy there is a close relationship of cause and effect. 



But we have not only to consider this degeneracy in so far as 

 it affects the individual : we have also to consider it in so far 

 as it affects the race — that is to say, we have to take into con- 

 sideration the progeny of these hereditary syphilitic degenerates. 

 We have noticed Professor Tarnowsky's conclusion to the effect 

 that it is in the second generation of the syphilitic family that 

 the hereditary influence of syphilis manifests itself with the 

 greatest intensity. This conclusion is amply confirmed by the 

 observations of other sjrphilologists. But the fact is also to be 

 noted that in the third generation of the syphilitic family grave 

 complications may ensue. Thus, a case is cited by Fournier of 

 four children born of a healthy father and of a mother suffering 

 from hereditary syphilis ; all four are afflicted with rachitism 

 (curved back, malformation of the skull, etc.), and one is an 

 idiot.^ Another case cited by Fournier is that of a woman 

 afflicted with hereditary syphilis, and married to a healthy man ; 

 four accouchements resulted successively in an abortion, in the 

 birth of two stillborn infants, and in the production of a terrible 

 monstrosity. A third case, cited by Fournier from the observa- 

 tions of Dr. Etienne, relates to a healthy woman married to a 

 hereditarily syphilitic husband ; this woman was fourteen times 

 pregnant, and the results were six dead children, five others 

 affected with cerebral disease, one " backward " child, and two 

 other children suffering from dental abnormality. Thus we see 

 that the influence of syphilis can extend far beyond the second 

 generation into the third, and with the most deplorable results. 

 When the third generation is not, through idiocy, fortunately 

 rendered sterile ; when the rachitic or backward members of the 

 third generation marry and reproduce ; the terrible influence of 

 1 A. Fournier, Danger social de la Syphilis, pp. 64 ff. 



