268 MISTAKEN OPINIONS 



surprising that the disease should be so general. 

 As it struck me as being very remarkable, I 

 made a point of examining into the subject, and 

 have concluded that by far the greater majority of 

 sores, and unhealthy appearances upon the body, 

 though referred by the patients themselves to this 

 disease, arise, in fact, from other causes, and are 

 confounded with syphilis 3 sometimes, probably, 

 from the consciousness of having deserved it, but 

 more frequently from their ignorance of the fact, 

 that the peculiarity of their situation, and the 

 character of their system in consequence, predis- 

 poses them to an extensive ulceration, should the 

 continuity of the skin be separated by the slightest 

 bruise. The ill effects which arise from this, the 

 unfortunate sufferers, unable to account for it in 

 any other manner, refer to a complaint, whose best 

 known symptoms are of a similar character; and 

 without any idea of disgrace attaching to them for 

 what has arisen most innocently, they jump to the 

 conclusion that they have become contaminated by 

 an unfortunate contact with some affected indi- 

 vidual. This is one reason, also, of the very 

 various remedies popularly employed ; for many 

 of the cases, as I have observed, not having the 

 least taint of syphilis, when a rapid recovery takes 

 place by the use of any simple cathartic, a reputa- 

 tion is immediately gained for it, as being a certain 

 cure for the presumed obstinate disease for which 

 it has been taken, and which it has so readily sub- 



