SYPHILIS OF THE BRAIN

Categories: Diseases of The Nervous System

Causes. The symptoms of syphilis of the brain,
belong to the third stage of the disease, and are rarely ever observed

until at least one year or longer from the time of the first lesion

(chancre). It may be from ten to twenty years coming on. Both sexes are

equally liable, and it may come at any age. Syphilis may produce a

circumscribed tumor, a disease of the arteries or a general hardened

infiltration of the brain. The tumo s are small, yellowish, and cheesy in

the center. They originate in the "Dura Mater" (covering) and spread to

the brain structure proper. The disease of the arteries causes a

thickening of these vessels, a narrowing of the blood channel in them,

thus producing a clot.



Symptoms. Of gumma (syphilis tumors) at the base of the brain, are

persistent headache, worse at night; sleeplessness, depression of the

mind, memory impaired, vertigo, sometimes vomiting and paralysis of some

of the nerves (third and sixth pairs). Violent convulsions, like epilepsy,

appear in some cases.






Symptoms when arteries are diseased. Temporary loss of speech, numbness

or weakness in one limb, the sight is disturbed, or vertigo; and, when the

clot (thrombus) appears, symptoms of apoplexy, This is a common variety of

syphilis of the brain.



How to tell what the disease is. The history of the patient will help. An

apoplexy in a young person would suggest syphilis.



Recovery. The chances are better when the disease forms gumma (tumors)

than when the blood vessels are diseased.



Treatment. Should be begun and properly carried on when the person has

the primary sore (chancre), and then these after troubles may not follow.

This is one of the diseases where the victim reaps a big harvest on

account of the sexual sin, and in order to escape the bad results for

himself, etc. he should go through a regular course of treatment when he

first contracts the disease, perhaps for a year or more, This treatment

should last as a rule for some years. It is late to begin when the brain

symptoms show brain involvement. For this there must be radical and

careful treatment with mercury and iodide of potash; with tonics and

general building up treatment, and then even if the patient lives he may

be a nuisance to himself and others.