It is scarcely possible to find a disease which
equals syphilis in the number and variety of its
SYNONYMS. It was quite an unknown affection when it
first made its appearance in Europe, and a satisfactory
designation had to be found for it. For long it was
known udder the somewhat vague designation of "Lues
Venerea"; and it was spoken of by the laity as the
"Pox" and the "Bad Disorder." The terns " Morbus
Gallicus" had a considerable and sustained vogue; and a
number of local affections, having no relation whatever
to syphilis, were for a considerable time confounded
ith it. The French call it "Virole," the Germans
"Lustseicche" and "Krankheit der Fr.anzossen," the
Spanish "Sifilis," the Italians " Sifilide," and the
Swedish "Radezyge." Numerous synonyms came to be invonted
through the desire of certain nations to take a
nosological revenge upon others. Thus, the people of
Naples called it the "French Disease" when it first
appeared in their beloved city at the time when the
French troops were laying siege thereto. The French,
on the other hand, retorted by designating syphilis
as the "Disease of Naples," though the Germans and
English rather detracted from the popularity of the
term by speaking of the affection as "French Pox." The
same idea a.nnears in such other iap i tions á.s the
"Turkish Disease," the "Disease of Christians," the
"Polish Disease," the "German Disease," the "Portuguese
Disease," and the "Spanish Disease." Such tokens of
racial animosity are now, however, mere literary
curiosities and purely of historical interest. The
Germans, Ttalians and Spaniards were the vreatest
advOoates of the term " Morbus Gallicus," which was
afterwards shortened to "Morbus" by the laity. " Morbus
enereus" is a term concerning which there has been
ouch disputation amongst philologists. From the
etiological standpoint syphilis and morbus venereus are
not synonymous terms; the former may be a morbus
venereus, as it is in the vast majority of instances;
but, nevertheless, it is, as we shall see, not
ecessarily so. It is interesting, though not strange,
o note that the superstitions of the period found
xpression in some of the names invented for this disase,
the clients of various Saints attributing its
cure to their spiritual Patron. Thus we have introduced
into the nomenclature of syphilis such names as "St.
Job" and "St. Main," which, however, by no means
exhaust the list. Such popular procedure was deprecated
by the physicians of the period who , with a view
of demonstrating their neutrality towards popular
superstitions and racial prejudices, gave syphilis
names expressive of their respective nosological
interpretations. From its supposed resemblance to
Asiatic lepra some of them called it "Elephantiasis,"
and others christened it "Sahafati" from its alleged
similZar.ity to a. peculiar cutaneous lesion prevalent
amongst the people of Arabia, This was a period of
astrological cult, and its influence became apparent
in the nomenclature of the disease. Curiosity regarding
Mars and Saturn was apparently just as keen then
as now, perhaps more so; and this found expression.. in
the name "Patursa Saturnine Disease" which the
affection received in view of its supposed causation
thereby. By many syphilis was at this time confounded
with smallpox on its first appearance amongst them; in
order to distinguish the two , the French called it the
"Great Pox," and the custom was also observed for A.
timee by the Germans, the Fleriish, and the Picardy
people. As early as the end of the fifteenth century
the French called the disease "Ls Grosse Verole ," the
term being first used in Parisian Parliamentary enactment
of 1496. We shall presently see that the term
"Syphilis" was in all probability coined with
etymological reference to the most frequent mode of
origin of the disease, and used for the first time,
incorporated in a myth, by the Veronese Physician
Hieronymus Frascatorius (Syphilis sine I')rbus
Gallicus, Lib.iii,,1521), who related, in a poem
concerning the disease, that a herdsman of King
Alkithous, Syphilis by name, was afflicted by it from
Apollo as his punishment for paying divine honour to
the Zing instead of to the god. About this time the
Spaniards called it "bubas" ( -pox); the Germans spoke of
it as "purpeln," "Mal Franzos ," and "!elsche Ro:sen;"
and other contemporary writers designated syphilis as
"Montagra" or. "MeÌ'itulagta," "Patursae," and
".z tudendagra," etc. The name "Maladie V6nèrienne"
was, in 1556, given to the affection by a medical
practitioner in Rouen, who noticed that sexual intercourse
was the most common method of contracting the
malady. This had a considerable vogue, but was
ultimately replaced by the Latin equivalent "Lues
Venerea." The name "Sibbens" or "Sewens" was given i.o
the aisot.:e wnen prevalent in the pest of Scotland,
especially in the counties of Ayr, Dumfries, Wigton,
etc.; it was first observed there towards the end of
the seventeenth century t i694) , at which period it was
said to have been imported by the soldiers of Oliver
Cromwell. The identity of the affection with syphilis
has never been seriously called in aueetion. in
Scotland the name "Grangfore," - a corruption or the
bench "a la. grande gorre ," the local aesazgnat1on of
the affection in Rouen, - was also much used by certain
classes.
