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Review
. 2021 Aug;38(4):550-554.
doi: 10.5114/ada.2021.108930. Epub 2021 Sep 17.

Syphilis: then and now

Katarzyna Plagens-Rotman  1 , Grażyna Jarząbek-Bielecka  2 , Piotr Merks  3 , Witold Kêdzia  1 , Magdalena Czarnecka-Operacz  4
Affiliations
Review

Syphilis: then and now

Katarzyna Plagens-Rotman et al. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Getting to know the history of syphilis should begin with an attempt to establish the original source of its spread throughout the world. The dispute about the origin of syphilis, a sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum (subspecies pallidum), had not been resolved even as late as in the twenty-first century, and to this day the supporters and opponents of the thesis that syphilis was brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus' sailors have been fighting without solid and sustainable foundations. The French named syphilis "the Neapolitan disease", while the Italians called it "the French disease".

Keywords: history; sexually transmitted infection; syphilis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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