From time immemorial, mankind has suffered from various diseases that poisoned its normal life. Sometimes diseases were acquired through the fault of people themselves. In ancient times, the lack of information about the nature of diseases and methods of protection against them often led to death.
One example of such a disease was syphilis, or, as it is also called, a French disease. It is about her that will be discussed in this article. What syphilis is, its symptoms are considered, and aspects of its treatment are discussed. The history of this disease will also be described.
History
In the fifteenth century, Europe was struck by a terrible disease at that time - syphilis. Until recently, there has been much debate about where it came from and who carried it across the continent.
According to studies conducted in the state of Georgia under the leadership of Christina Harper, the perpetrators of the spread of syphilis were sailors from the ships of Christopher Columbus.
When, in 1494, Charles VIII declared war on the Neapolitan state, it was precisely those sailors who had recently returned with Columbus from South America who joined his army. During the occupation of Italian lands, many people were infected with a severe disease. The Italians were convinced that the invaders were to blame for everything, and the latter, in turn, sinned because they were infected by Italians. While just did not call syphilis. Some called it "Gallic", others "Syrian", and still others "French" disease. This is due to the fact that no one wanted to denigrate the honor of their people.
In 1530, Girolamo Fracastoro was the first to popularize knowledge of the disease. It was he who gave the name to the disease. It is worth noting that his work was not written in scientific medical language, but rather became a mythological poem. It told about a shepherd named Syphile, who allegedly angered the gods of Olympus, for which they awarded him a serious illness. After the labor was distributed among the masses, the disease was more often called the name of the main character. So the name appeared, which has survived to this day - syphilis.
After the troops of Charles VIII returned home, having already managed to smash the causative agents of syphilis across Europe, the continent was defeated not by wars, but by an insidious disease. The doctors of that time could not understand what was the root cause of the dangerous infection, but today's studies prove that it was brought by sailors who were in South America. According to the proposed version, spirochetosis is an endemic disease of some local ungulates that could transfer bacteria to local aborigines, and those, in turn, to sailors.
Description and route of infection
French disease, or syphilis, belongs to the group of sexually transmitted diseases, the pathogen is a bacterium of the species Treponema pallidum. Syphilis refers to a number of infectious diseases. What are the ways to transmit French disease?
- STD (sexually transmitted).
- Household way.
- In contact with the mucous membrane of an infected person.
- Through the blood (during transfusion, etc.).
- From mother to baby during childbirth.
Of course, syphilis poses a special danger to young people who may be illegible in intimate relationships. It is always worth remembering that syphilis is for the most part a sexually transmitted disease.
Symptoms and treatment
The incubation period of syphilis lasts up to 45 days. The earliest symptom that lets you know that a person has contracted a French disease is the appearance of solid ulcers that may not cause any pain. They can appear in the genital area and anal opening, as well as on the mucous membranes of the mouth or on the lips. Initially, the ulcer is a pale red spot, after which a papule forms, and then the ulcer itself forms.
This stage is called primary syphilis. After some time, the ulcers may be delayed, which indicates that the disease has passed into the second phase - secondary syphilis.
Within six months, rashes appear on the body of the infected person, appetite disappears, hair begins to fall out, and head and joint pains overcome the most affected person. Genital organs with secondary syphilis are covered with condylomas.
Such symptoms are observed for three to six months, after which the person ceases to be infectious to others. However, this does not mean that he recovered. During this period, syphilis passes into the latent stage, and treponema is introduced into the blood, organs, spinal cord and brain.
In the treatment of syphilis, the patient is given a single injection of penicillin. Congenital, latent and tertiary syphilis requires more effort and an increase in the dose of the drug.
It is noteworthy that not only the patient himself is treated for syphilis, but also all his sexual partners, who are also at risk.
Disease danger
If you do not start treatment in time, there is a likelihood that after the transition of the disease to the latent phase, the patient will begin to have problems with the organs of vision and the heart system.
Inactivity of a person affected by the virus is fraught with the fact that at the sixth month after infection, he may begin to overcome mental disorders, paralysis and blindness. Ultimately, without treatment, syphilis leads to death.
Prevention
The most important thing that a person has to do to protect himself from syphilis is to observe the rules of personal hygiene. If it happened that you had to contact a person infected with this disease, you should immediately limit communication at the tactile level and in no case should you use his care accessories, as well as tableware (dishes, a towel, etc.).
The second rule is to avoid sexual contact with people infected with syphilis, and always use contraceptives.
Conclusion
Having learned about what syphilis is, we can conclude that this is a rather dangerous disease, which, if untreated, can lead to death.
It can be seen from history that it can affect not only people living in conditions with a socially low standard of living, but even those who, being in abundance, consider themselves completely protected from it. It is known that Pope Paul III himself invited doctors to Trent in order to heal the members of the Council of Trent. Now, knowing what is called a French disease, and being warned of its danger, you need to follow the most important rules of prevention in order to protect yourself from infection.