syphilis (sif'il-is)

A specific, inoculable, constitutional disease, which in its earlier stage presents symptoms of systemic intoxication analogous to the symptoms of acute infectious fevers, especially the exanthemata, and in its later stage presents circumscribed lesions of many of the structures of the body, which have characteristics like tuberculosis and leprosy. It is propagated most often by sexual intercourse, le commonly by contaminated hands, or utensils, and sometimes by inheritance. The specific organism causing it is the Treponema pallidum, originally called Spirochaeta pallid a. The course of the disease is marked by: 1. The first period of incubation, from the time of infection to the appearance of the initial lesion, from 12 to 21 days. 2. The primary stage, from the appearance of the initial lesion to the development of the skin lesions, from 40 to 45 days. 3. The secondary stage, from the appearance of the skin lesions (as a rule ushered in by mild fever) until the disappearance of evidences of an active constitutional infecting disease. 4. The tertiary stage, after the disappearance of the evidence of general infection the development of circumscribed gummatous lesions. This last stage may be wanting, congenital S. S. that has existed in an individual from birth, either as hereditary s., or by having been communicated to the fetus from the mother through the uteroplacental circulation during intra-uterine life (intra-uterine or placental s.), or by contact with syphilitic lesions in the genital pa ages of the mother during parturition (infectio per partum). constitutional s. See secondary s. cutaneous s. See syphilid, encephalic s. S. of the brain. extra genital s. S. contracted otherwise than by coitus, hereditary s. Properly, s. transmitted at the time of conception either through infected semen of the father or an infected ovum of the mother or through both. The term is often used for congenital s. infantile s. See congenital s. and hereditary s. latent s. Any stage of s. in which there are no active manifestations of the disease, malignant s. The occurrence of severe constitutional symptoms early in the secondary stage. primary s. S. as it exists in an infected individual during the period intervening between the first appearance of the initial lesion (or syphilitic chancre) and the development of constitutional (secondary) s. secondary s. S. during the period succeeding the second incubation, characterized by generalized manifestations of infection, chiefly in the form of superficial lesions of the skin and mucous membranes, together with various functional disturbances of the nervous and vascular systems, and preceding the occurrence of the symptoms of tertiary s. s. innocentium, s. insontium. Syn.: s. of the innocent. S. contracted otherwise than by coitus, tertiary s. S. in an advanced stage, characterized by localized deposits in the connective ti ue of various parts of the body, chiefly in the form of syphilomata. It is attended with deep-seated ulceration of the skin or mucous membranes and syphilitic osteitis, together with organic affections of the viscera and of the nerves and blood ve els, vaccination s. (rare). S. acquired by vaccination, either through vaccine virus obtained from a syphilitic subject or through syphilitic contamination of the wound during the operation, as by unclean instruments. The characteristic vaccine pustule is followed by an indurated chancre, visceral s. Tertiary or congenital s. in which the viscera are especially subject to the inflammatory proce . [This word was originally used to designate a mythical character by Fracas tori, who, in a Latin poem, published at Verona in 1521, represents his hero, Syphilus, as smitten with the disease for disrespect shown to the gods. It has been variously derived from the Gr., syn, with, + philios, loving, or from sysphilos, friend of a pig; but there is no authority for either.]