Who first discovered Syphilis?

Kainantu

Syphilis is a microscopic spirochete called Treponema pallidum. The genus treponema causes both syphilis and several non-venereal treponematoses. The non-venereal forms include yaws, pinta, and bejel. It seems that nobody can agree on where and when this little organism started to dig out its own niche in human history. Books, articles, dissertations, and passionate speeches have all been devoted to convincing an audience that syphilis originated in either the Old World, the New World, or in both places independently. In 1905, an important discovery was made. Microbiologists Schmudinn and Hoffman discovered and isolated the bacteria that causes syphilis. With the enemy now in sight, Paul Ehrlich began his research to find a better drug to fight the disease in 1908. In 1929, Alexander Fleming discovered the anti-bacterial qualities of the mold Penicillium. Penicillin has led to a dramatic drop in the prevalence of treponemal infections. http://www.allsands.com/Health/Advice/syphilishisto_zkq_gn.htm In 1899 a Japanese immigrant arrived on the shores of this nation (US). After years of study and work, this man, Dr. Hideyo Noguchi, isolated the syphilis germ... http://www.house.gov/faleomavaega/sp-asia.htm Jan 27 03, 11:05 PM

Senior Moments

In 1530 Girolamo Fracastoro, a physician, astronomer, and poet of Verona, published a poem entitled 'Syphilis, sive Morbus Gallicus,' translated as 'Syphilis, or the French Disease.' In Fracastoro's poem the name of this dreaded venereal disease is an altered form of the name of the hero Syphilus, a shepherd who is supposed to have been the first victim of the disease. Where the name Syphilus itself came from is not known for certain, but it has been suggested that Fracastoro borrowed it from Ovid's Metamorphoses. In Ovid's work Sipylus (spelled Siphylus in some manuscripts) is the oldest son of Niobe, who lived not far from Mount Sipylon in Asia Minor. Fracastoro's poem about Syphilus was modeled on the story of Niobe. Fracastoro went on to use the term syphilis again in his medical treatise De Contagione, published in 1546. The word that Fracastoro used in Latin was eventually borrowed into English, being first recorded in 1718. http://www.bartleby.com/61/18/S0971800.html Jan 28 03, 9:08 AM