Syphilis - Renaissance Philosophy

Abstract

The attack of syphilis in Europe was first reported in July 1495 in connection with the Italian invasion of French King Charles VIII (1470–1498). During the war, many soldiers were contaminated with a new type of disease. As the army of Charles VIII was composed not only of Frenchmen but also of foreign mercenaries, the disease was spread in Italian cities and then in other European towns once those men returned. Going beyond the Alps, syphilis reached France and Switzerland by 1496, England by 1497, and the Northern European countries by 1499 (Quetél. Le mal de Naples: Histoire de la syphilis. P. Seghers, Paris, 1986). Because France was regarded as responsible for this calamitous spread of the disease, it was called “French disease” (morbus Gallicus) in most countries and “Neapolitan disease” (morbus Neapolitanus) in France.