efforts that have been made to ascertain the precise date when this disease first appeared in Europe:—[1]
It is just as foolish to suppose that the date of the first appearance
of syphilis may be discovered as it is to hope that the disease
will ever entirely disappear. As long as wealth and idleness continue
to exist, as long as there are men who remain unmarried and
women whose moral character is of a yielding nature, and as long
as it is not possible for the police to creep into every nook and
corner, just so long will licentiousness and indulgence in fleshly
lusts continue to disturb the peace of the community. These are
the conditions necessary to the development and spread of syphilis.
Some account of the treatment of this form of venereal
disease comes next in order. It is commonly believed, says
the author just quoted, that it was from the Spanish physicians
of the sixteenth century that we learned how to treat
syphilis by the methodical employment of mercurial
preparations. (See footnote at the bottom of page 542.)
He adds that there was published by Juan Almenar at
Venice, in 1502, a book which bears the title: "A treatise
on the Morbus Gallicus, in which it is demonstrated how
the patient may be treated in such a successful manner
that the disease will never return, nor will any objectionable
lesions develop in the mouth; and yet, during the progress
of the treatment, the patient is not required to remain in
bed." The author of this book, who was a resident of
Valencia, Spain, was a man of noble birth. His treatise
passed through eight successive editions, the last of which
was printed at Basel in 1536. Almenar's plan of treatment
was to employ mercurial inunctions in such moderate doses
as not to induce salivation. If, at the end of a few days,
he saw evidences of an approach of this symptom, he
substituted baths and evacuant remedies (rhubarb and
senna) for a short time, and also prescribed a more
nourishing diet and the taking of various internal remedies.
Then, later, the inunctions were resumed. The exact
duration of such a course of treatment is not stated. So
far as I am able to judge from the account given by
Finckenstein, Almenar found it necessary in some cases
- ↑ "Zur Geschichte der Syphilis," Breslau, 1870.
