Death From Syphilis

Death From Syphilis

 Congenital syphilis is the leading cause of many diseases in humans today. Genome research can be a way to diagnose and prevent many diseases.My grandfather had syphilis, as did many other grandfathers and great-grandfathers a century ago. It was a pandemic for several hundred years. Most of us don't know about it. It was considered shameful and families kept it a secret at all costs. Medical records were transcribed to mask the true diagnosis because of the stigma associated with the diagnosis. In the process of tracing my family history, I was able to obtain my grandfather's military records from Ottawa, Canada where he served as a medic in 1915 in Francefor the Canadian Army during WW1. They recorded his military service in detail, including laboratory tests and treatments. He complained of leg and hip pain and was hospitalized. His laboratory blood tests revealed a Wasserman 3. A clear sign of syphilis. He was 38 and got it when he was 18. Now he had it for about 20 years and it was in the secondary or latent stage. He was unsuccessfully treated with Salverson 600, a lethal intravenous injection cocktail of arsenic and mercury, administered every day for 7 days. The results were unremarkable, with no change in his Wassermann test, and he was given a medical discharge and sent back to Canada with instructions to repeat the treatment in Calgary, not repeat it. Syphilis is an insidious disease that can affect any system or structure in the body.  I believe that when a person contracts syphilis and procreates, they cause genetic mutations in future generations. My grandmother, who he contracted, died of uterine cancer at 55, the youngest of her large family to die so young. She had two sons after she became infected. His son, my father, had bipolar disorder and was so tormented that he committed suicide at the age of 44. My youngest brother killed himself at the same age. She had another son with another man. This son also had mental problems and died in his 30s. Both her sons had the classic symptom of congenital syphilis, soft teeth. Both had dentures as teenagers. I am the oldest of five. We all have health issues that I blame on second-generation syphilis mutations, my grandfather was diagnosed with myalgia on his discharge papers. I have a modern version of what is now called restless legs syndrome. I have nieces and nephews with the same disability. Some current research suggests it is a neurological condition, but we don't yet know what causes it. Some cases may have a genetic cause, but this has not been confirmed or investigated to date. My sister Lorry was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 1937, the youngest case ever recorded at that time. Today it is called Stills disease. She had several flare-ups and died at age 61 crippled by her illness. One brother, Ken, born in 1939, had congenital Bright's disease and a kidney abnormality and later in life underwent surgery to relieve his symptoms. Another sister Susan 1942 was diagnosed with a blood disease - Porphyria, she died at the age of 52. While each of us had different illnesses. I believe they were all congenital and caused lifelong health problems. None were attributed to our grandfather's syphilis because we didn't know about it until recently. The current research also did not examine or find an association with fraternal congenital syphilis. In 2018, we received an extensive DNA report from Tell MeGen in Valencia, Spain, and the results were remarkable. On the front, marked in bright red, it said I was at the highest risk of restless leg syndrome. It returned risk factors for 350 other problems and compared my risk factors to my average risk and compared all average risks. I have an 80.95% risk of restless leg syndrome. Other risk factors revealed were significant and true. The documentation confirmed my suspicions. That we all inherited mutated DNA or RNA from our father and his father. Although it manifested itself differently for each of us. Discussion: A sexually transmitted infection caused by Treponema pallidum Treponema subspecies pallidum. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending on which of the four stages occurs (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary. The primary stage is classically manifested by an ulcer called a canker. A hard small ulcer on the male penis is usually treated with mercury ointment. When a woman was infected, they may not realize it and may have mild flu-like symptoms. Syphilis is known to be a great mimic because it can cause symptoms similar to many other diseases. Syphilis is most often spread through sexual activity. Diagnosis is usually made using blood tests.  After the availability of penicillin declined dramatically in the 1940s, infection rates have increased since the turn of the millennium in many countries, often in combination with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus. This is thought to be partly due to increased promiscuity, prostitution, and a decline in condom use, and unsafe sexual practices between partners.