Archeological evidence shows that the disease was suffered by Native Americans many centuries before European contact, this has lead to the wide spread belief that the disease was transmitted to the rest of the world following the voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1492. (This Kinda makes scenic as europeans brought small pox to the New World, ad as we became more global we helped disease spread.) The first cases in Europe were reported in 1494 in Naples (now part of Italy) while the kingdom was under attack by the armies of Charles VIII of France. The disease appears to have been spread by soldiers of the defending Spanish army who had sailed with Columbus. But, some medical investigators believe that syphilis may have existed earlier in the Old World, they think perhaps in a less virulent strain, that was considered a form of leprosy.
1494
Name(s):
Christopher Columbus
Occupation:
Captain, Explorer,
Location:
World
Additional Information:
- History of syphilis – Wikipedia
The history of syphilis has been well studied, but the exact origin of the disease is unknown. … The first written records of an outbreak of syphilis in Europe occurred in 1494/1495 in Naples, Italy, during a French invasion. - Brief History of Syphilis – NCBI – NIH
Before the discovery of Treponema pallidum as the etiologic agent, the origins of syphilis have been the subject of several debates. - Thanks Columbus! The true story of how syphilis spread to Europe …
Christopher Columbus and his men brought a lot of things back to Europe after his voyage to the New World: corn, potatoes, and—according to general scholarly consensus—syphilis. - Christopher Columbus in the clear: research suggests he did not bring …
Syphilis spread throughout Europe shortly after Columbus returned from the new world, but researchers in Austria have found skeletons of syphilitic Europeans that pre-date his voyage - Case Closed? Columbus Introduced Syphilis to Europe – Live Science
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, but when he returned from ‘cross the seas, did he bring with him a new disease? - Christopher Columbus – Wikipedia
The name Christopher Columbus is the Anglicisation of the Latin Christophorus Columbus. His name in Italian is Cristoforo Colombo and, in Spanish, it is Cristóbal Colón.