Walsh & Hoyt: Syphilis

Syphilis is the most important disease caused by the Treponema species, whether considered from a medical, neurologic, visual, economic, or social standpoint. Syphilis, occasionally called ""lues"" from the Latin phrase, lues venereum, meaning ""disease,"" ""sickness,"" or ""pestilence,"" was first recognized in the late 1400s. It is unclear if it was imported into Europe from the New World by Christopher Columbus or was a primary European disease that spread among people living in crowded conditions. A pandemic known as the Great Pox spread through Europe and Asia at the time of the return of Columbus from America. Although it is not clear if T. pallidum was the cause, it seems likely.