The 1 syphilis patient recorded in history was Columbus who opened up a new air route and discovered America. Syphilis originated in America. Columbus brought this pathogen to Europe and infected it to the Portuguese, who brought syphilis to Guangdong, so syphilis is also called Guangdong sore in China. Syphilis and venereal diseases spread widely in China, which happened after Ming and Qing Dynasties.
15 13 years, the prescription for treating syphilis appeared for the first time in Lingnan Health Care Prescription, which proved that syphilis was an exotic disease. Syphilis is terrible. Once you get this disease, the patient will slowly ache and fester all over and eventually die. Even in the middle of19th century, the Tongzhi emperor got this disease, but there was still no effective treatment. Syphilis is highly contagious, which led to the Ming and Qing dynasties to strengthen the supervision of brothels, raise the threshold of employment and formulate strict health examination system, including the health examination of working women and the health examination of workplace.
The inspection system in Ming and Qing dynasties was very strict, and it was impossible for an individual to open a brothel without any official background. Once a brothel woman is found to have syphilis, it will be brutally isolated, or even find a way to make her disappear directly, otherwise the operation of the whole brothel will be greatly affected. Syphilis is a severe infectious disease. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, even in the eight hutongs frequented by emperors, there was no effective way to eradicate it. It was not until penicillin appeared in the 20th century that it was completely possible to kill the virus.