title: The impact of syphilis on humankind.
abstract: Until the advent of penicillin and the antibiotic era in the mid-20th century, syphilis was a prevalent disease, infecting between 8% and 14% of the population living in urban areas. The disease progressed to a chronic illness in up to 25% of patients, and its late neurologic manifestations had a profound affect on Western history when it infected societal leaders; on societal morays as a means to curb the disease; and on public health practices. Syphilis was a major impetus for the advent of strict informed consent policies.
authors.affiliation: Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, National Institutes of Health, 6700B Rockledge Drive, Bethesda MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Edmund C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Tramont
mesh_terms: D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D012961:Sociology / Q000266:history; D013587:Syphilis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000266:history* / Q000635:transmission