Conjunctivitis gonorrhoica adultorum

Gonorrhea can cause pose a risk to the newborn infant quite easily, especially when it’s contracted during childbirth and not caught until the eye is significantly pustular and weeping, but when gonorrheal infection manages to take hold in the adult eye, it’s often far more damaging, much more quickly than in the infant. The eye can begin producing an excess of clear tears in the morning, by noon have the lachrymation become turbid and milky, and by evening have a steady stream of pus coming from the eye.

As you can see in this illustration, sometimes the entire cornea is broken down into pus by the gonococci, leaving the iris exposed, and precluding possibility of maintaining sight in the infected eye. The unaffected eye is covered by a watch-glass here, and surrounded by an adhesive bandage, to keep any gonococci from spreading over from the infected eye. Though they can easily establish themselves and do massive damage when entrenched in the body (such as in the eyes, or the mucous membranes of the genitalia), gonorrheal bacteria are very delicate and cannot infect across the skin, unless there’a  break or tear present. 

Atlas of External Diseases of the Eye. Richard Greeff, 1914.

Happy Columbus Day, US residents! Let’s celebrate with one of his greatest achievements!

Top: Gummatous ulcer of left nipple - Patient 24 years of age, drummer, suffering from syphilis for 6 months. Has been under continuous mercurial treatment during that time but in spite of that has broken out in ulcers across body, 74 in number. Patient emaciated and anemic. Broad scar from syphilitic sclerosis at base of penis.

Bottom: Gumma of the breast - Patient 41 years of age, noticed tumerous growth on side of breast one year ago, recently began ulcerating with gummatous lesions forming nearby. Reports being otherwise healthy. Examination showed scarring from old papules around breast, labia majora, and anus. Swelling of inguinal and axillary glands.

Atlas of Syphilis and the Venereal Diseases. L. Bolton Bangs, 1899.

life:

Hope everyone enjoys their Friday night! Words of advice—  Be…safe?  Old-School Anti STD Posters

Dear Life Magazine: <3

1938 Anti-Venereal Disease WPA poster

Ummm, I feel like I missed something critical in my Animal Disease and Zoonoses class…did dinosaurs get syphilitic? Is that what caused them all to die out?

ofpaperandponies:

Don’t be ashamed of that syphilitic testicle! 

WPA poster made for the New York Department of Corrections, 1937.