The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by spiral-shaped bacteria called treponema pallidum. Syphilis is acquired during sexual contact with an individual already infected with the bacteria. The course of the disease caused by t. pallidum has four distinct phases: primary syphilis, secondary syphilis, latent syphilis, and advanced or tertiary syphilis.
Symptoms of primary syphilis crop up about three weeks after an individual acquires the causative bacteria. A small hard bump, followed by an ulcer (chancre) appears at the point of entry of the bacteria, usually on the penis in men or on the vulva, vagina, or cervix in women. This chancre lasts for about a month, during which time the individual is extremely contagious.
After the disappearance of the chancre, several months may pass, followed by a flu-like illness and rash. The individual during this phase is also extremely contagious, because of multiple lesions on within the mouth and on the genitalia.
Latent syphilis refers to the bacteria lying dormant within an individual's body, with no recognizable symptoms whatsoever. This phase can decades. During this phase, the body may overcome the bacteria, or the bacteria may take hold in multiple locations of the body, only to resurface as tertiary syphilis in the future.
Tertiary syphilis can occur in many different locations, but the worst results include insanity due to lesions on the brain, blindness, and severe destructive scarring lesions (called gumma) located in the bones, liver, spleen, heart, and skin. About 30% of all individuals with latent syphilis develop this serious, often fatal form of syphilis.
One of the most disturbing features of syphilis is its ability to cause disease in the babies of an infected mother. Symptoms of syphilis may be manifested in the newborn, or may remain latent, appearing later in life in the full-blown tertiary form.
All forms of syphilis are treatable with penicillin antibiotics, although tertiary syphilis may have already caused irreparable damage.