Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted diseases are communicated with the exchange of bodily fluids during sexual intercourse or by intimate contact with an open lesion (sore) associated with a particular disease. Sexually transmitted diseases have been a scourge on society for centuries and have afflicted Americans most prominently during periods of war, severely affecting troop strength and preparedness during the Civil War, WWI and WWII. A truly effective treatment was not available until the development of penicillin, which became obtainable toward the end of WWII. Currently, sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in the United States, partly due to an increase of sex between men. Additionally, the incidence of congenital syphilis has risen dramatically in recent years. The sexually transmitted diseases discussed in this chapter, along with their historical names and monikers, are: Syphilis (French Pox, Great Pox, “Bad Blood”) and Gonorrhea (“The Clap,” “The Drip”).