Syphilis — a disease both feared and misunderstood for centuries — is often called “the Great Imitator” because its symptoms mimic so many other illnesses.

https://www.cdc.gov/syphilis/about/index.html

Its origins are still debated. Some historians argue it arrived in Europe with Columbus’ sailors from the New World, while others claim it had always been present but misdiagnosed. What’s certain is that by the 16th century, syphilis had spread across Europe with devastating speed.

The disease moves in stages, almost like acts in a play. First, sores. Then rashes. Then silence — sometimes for years. And finally, in its last act, syphilis can destroy organs, cause blindness, paralysis, and even attack the brain, leading to delusions and madness.

History is full of famous figures rumored to have suffered from it — rulers like Henry VIII, artists like Van Gogh and Goya, philosophers like Nietzsche. Some even argue that neurosyphilis fueled bursts of artistic genius and wild visions.

Before antibiotics, the treatments were as grim as the disease. Mercury ointments and vapors were common, leading to the saying: “a night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury.”

But perhaps the darkest chapter came much later, in the 20th century: the Tuskegee experiment, where U.S. researchers deliberately denied treatment to Black men with syphilis for decades, just to watch the disease progress.

Even today, syphilis hasn’t vanished. Despite penicillin being an effective cure, cases are rising worldwide again, reminding us that this centuries-old infection still has lessons to teach.

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