JBP <=> Syphilis. A History Lesson.

[Potawatomi13]

Most enlightening thank you.

 

[AndyJ]

Brilliant post - thoroughly enjoyed reading. I really like trying to understand what Latin extensions on plant names mean and you have just added a couple to my list! Pinus Thunbergii derived from Carl Thunberg.

Thanks Scott!

 

[markyscott]

Fascinating tale, but you didn't mention what the cure was, @markyscott. Obviously it wasn't penicillin.



Should I just say,

Spoiler: spoiler alert

mercury water

or should I remain mum about it?

Not penicillin. Interestingly, the Japanese called it “Chinese Pox”. This was very consistent with how the Europeans named it - everyone liked to name it after folks they didn‘t get along with very well. The French called it the ‘Neapolitan disease’, the ‘disease of Naples’ or the ‘Spanish disease’, and later grande verole or grosse verole, the ‘ great pox’, the English and Italians called it the ‘French disease’, the ‘Gallic disease’, the ‘morbus Gallicus’, or the ‘French pox’, the Germans called it the ‘French evil’, the Scottish called it the ‘grandgore‘, the Russians called it the ‘Polish disease’, the Polish and the Persians called it the ‘Turkish disease’, the Turkish called it the ‘Christian disease’, the Tahitians called it the ‘British disease’, in India it was called the ‘Portuguese disease’, in Japan it was called the ‘Chinese pox’, and there are some references to it being called the ‘Persian fire’.

Thunberg introduced the mercury treatment to Japan. Not exactas sure what version of the treatment, but in a typical one, the patient was secluded in a hot, stuffy room, and rubbed vigorously with a mercury ointment several times a day. The massaging was done near a hot fire, which the sufferer was then left next to in order to sweat. This process went on for a week to a month or more, and would later be repeated if the disease persisted. Other toxic substances, such as vitriol and arsenic, were also employed. Of course, mercury had a few minor side effects - neuropathies, kidney failure, and severe mouth ulcers and loss of teeth, death, etc. Treatment would typically go on for years and gave rise to the saying,

“A night with Venus, and a lifetime with mercury”

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