History
There are two thoughts on the origin of syphilis: the Columbian and
pre-Columbian theories. There are ongoing debates in
anthropological and
historical fields about the validity of either theory.
The
pre-Columbian theory holds that syphilis symptoms are described by
Hippocrates in
Classical Greece in its venereal/tertiary form. Some passages in the Bible could refer to syphilis, especially
Exodus 20:5 where the sins of the father are visited unto the third and fourth generation. There are other suspected syphilis findings for pre-contact Europe, including at a
13-
14th century
Augustinian friary in the northeastern English port of
Kingston upon Hull. The anthropological evidence is contested by those who follow the Columbian theory.
The
Columbian Exchange theory holds that syphilis was a
New World disease brought back by
Columbus. The first well-recorded outbreak of what we know as syphilis occurred in Naples in
1494. There is some documentary evidence to link Columbus's crew to the outbreak. Supporters of the Columbian theory find syphilis lesions on pre-contact
Native Americans. Again, all the anthropological evidence is heatedly discussed on both sides of the Columbian/pre-Columbian debate. (Baker, et al.)
Alfred Crosby has argued that neither side has the full story. Syphilis is a form of
Yaws, which has existed in the Old World since time immemorial. Crosby argues that syphilis is a specific form of Yaws that had evolved in the New World and was brought back to the old, "the differing ecological conditions produced different types of
treponematosis and, in time, closely related but different diseases". (ref:225 Crosby)