As a college student the one word you don't want to hear from doctors during a checkup or from a loved one is the word "syphilis." This is like social suicide in addition to the obvious health problems and images that come to mind when you hear about this sexually transmitted disease. A term we've come to hear and kind of fear ever since that crazy sex ed teacher, in high school, told you it would basically be a death sentence if you took it. Now, while that's not necessarily a death sentence, it's definitely not your typical chickenpox. So what exactly does this have to do with pathology? Anything! Now let's take a moment to mentally go back in time to the first evidence of this disease. Syphilis is considered a treponemal disease. Some symptoms include inflammatory changes in tissues throughout the body. Usually the person notices it at the place where the bacteria entered the body. It will then continue to change the soft tissues of the body and eventually begin to affect the bones. So where exactly does this disease come from? Well there is no concrete answer. “The origin and antiquity of syphilis are among the greatest historical and scientific questions in the history of medicine” (George J. Armelegos, 2012). It is suggested that Columbus and his crew brought syphilis to the New World in 1493, but some even speculate that it originated in the Old World and was simply not recognized until the early 15th century, i.e. the Columbian hypothesis and pre-Columbian. To elaborate the Columbian hypothesis it originated in the New World and was brought to Europe by Columbus' crew in 1493 who effectively caused the epidemic of 1500 to a population that had not previously been......middle of paper. ..... In summary, syphilis is one of the oldest treponemal diseases, dating back to the early 15th century. Today, there is still an ongoing debate about the origins of the disease. Some scholars speculate on Columbus' theory of bringing the disease to Europe versus the pre-Columbian theory which stated that the disease was actually present in Europe before the voyage to the New World. There are three different stages of syphilis disease, and in the third, the manifestation of the disease on the human skeletal system occurs. This disease, although less serious than in medieval times, is still widespread today, found especially in poorer, underdeveloped countries. Continued study of this disease may help with its prevalence in other countries and also help with the study of other diseases that have had an effect on humanity and/or still do so today.