VENEREAL DISEASES: THE SECONDARY STAGE OF SYPHILIS
The secondary stage usually follows the chancre or primary lesion within three months. It rarely occurs earlier than the sixth or later than the tenth week. This stage is characterized by a variety of signs and symptoms which indicate that the spirochetes have been spread throughout the body by the blood and have multiplied in certain areas on the skin and mucous membranes. Often the patient feels somewhat sick, he may have headaches, the hair may thin out, a body rash that takes a great variety of forms may appear. This rash may be seen with difficulty or be seen as brown-colored spots. It may remain but a short period of time. Mucous patches may appear in the mouth, on the inside of the cheeks, or on the tonsils. These sores in the mouth are full of syphilitic germs. If a man with such sores kisses a woman with a crack in her lip through which the germ may enter, the woman will in all probability develop a chancre of the lip and later develop a systemic syphilis, unless treated.
In time all the secondary signs of the disease disappear, leaving no evidence of the progress of the infection. It is impressive to realize the insidiousness of this infection, especially in women. From the time of exposure the woman sees no evidence of the disease in the first stage and feels perfectly well. Neither the man or the woman may detect evidences of the disease in the secondary stage, for there is practically no pain and the signs may be very slight. The blood, however, at this stage will usually give a positive Wasserman or Kahn test.
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