What you should know about Syphilis

Syphilis has not gone away, and in some places it is on the rise. During the 16^th and 17^th centuries, there was a rebirth of humanism and the arts which engulfed Europe. It was accompanied by a loosening of sexual restrictions which had previously been observed.  The Protestant Reformation, led by Martin Luther, John Calvin, and others, generally advocated less negative attitudes toward sexual matters than the Catholic Church did. For example, although Luther was hardly liberal in his sexual attitudes, he thought that sex was not inherently sinful and that chastity and celibacy were not signs of virtue. At the same time, Europe was caught in a massive epidemic of syphilis – which might have worked to limit sexual freedom.

Syphilis is a spiral-shaped microorganism, Treponema pallidum, discovered in 1905. 

This photomicrograph of Treponema pallidum bacteria was taken from a tissue section. From Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa.

Syphilis is usually transmitted by sexual contacts, but it can also be acquired from blood transfusion or transmitted from a pregnant mother to the fetus.

The earliest sign of syphilis in its primary stage is a sore called a chancre (pronounced “shanker”). The chancre generally appears two to four weeks after infection. The most common locations for the chancre in 75 percent of cases, are the genitals and anus, but it can also develop on the lips, in the mouth, on a finger, on a breast, or on any part of the body where the bacteria can enter the skin.  The chancre begins as a dull-red spot which develops into a pimple. The pimple ulcerates, forming a round or oval sore usually surrounded by a red rim. The chancre usually heals within four to six weeks, leading to the erroneous belief that the “problem” went away.

                                                Primary stage chancre

Secondary syphilis is rare because it is mostly prevented by early medical intervention.  The second stage without treatment, begins anywhere from one week to six months after the chancre heals. The symptoms include a pale red or pinkish rash often found on the palms and soles, fever, sore throat, headaches, joint pains, poor appetite, weight loss, and hair loss. Moist sores called condyloma lata may appear around the genitals or anus and are highly infectious. The symptoms of this secondary stage of syphilis usually last three to six months but can come and go periodically. After all the symptoms disappear, the disease passes into a latent stage. At this stage the disease is no longer contagious, but the infecting microorganisms burrow their way into various tissues, such as the brain, spinal cord, blood vessels, and bones. Fifty to 70 percent of people with untreated syphilis stay in this stage for the rest of their lives. The remainder, pass on to the late syphilis stage.  It involves serious heart problems, eye problems, and brain or spinal cord damage. These complications can cause paralysis, insanity, blindness, and death.

Syphilis is usually diagnosed by a blood test. Although tests are not completely fool-proof in detecting the primary stage of syphilis, secondary syphilis can be diagnosed with 100 percent accuracy. Diagnosis also depends on a carefully performed physical examination looking for signs of primary or secondary syphilis. Chancre sores can be observed on male sex organs, and chancres of the cervix or vagina may be detected only by a pelvic examination. Examination of the fluid taken from a chancre under a special microscope will usually show the characteristic spiral-shaped organism.

Syphilis can easily be treated with one injection in its primary and secondary stages. Later stages of syphilis require treatment over a longer period of time, but the treatment is usually successful.

Persons who have been sexually exposed to someone with proven early syphilis should promptly seek medical help.

Islam, women and the radicles

This article is taken from a thesis written by a Muslim woman who grew up living in Afghanistan.

There is a difference between the dogma taught by the Muslim extremist groups and the teachings by the Prophet Mohammad. Fourteen hundred years ago, Mohammad permitted women to be politically active, to work and mix with men, and they were not required to veil their faces.

As Islamic extremism gained strength throughout the Muslim world, rigid patriarchal religious leaders emphasized Koranic passages removing its clear command giving women equality, justice, and education. For political ends, the Prophet’s intent regarding women is both altered and inappropriately applied. His sympathy for women’s rights is often no longer reflected in the law and practices of modern government.

Because Muslim women are the first to be affected by such changes, their freedoms, or lack thereof, have become a key indicator of the political direction in which such states are moving.

Muslim women who work in the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries often enjoy job benefits and equality more than most women in the western world. Since the 1970s in Iraq for example, a woman’s employment benefits are extensive and include free child care while she is working, and has the right to retire with a full pension after fifteen years of employment.  In virtually all Arab countries, maternity leave with full pay is substantially longer than in the United States and Canada.

Dichotomously, the majority of Muslim women still find their lives controlled by their closest male relatives. They are the daughters whose future marriage partners continue to be determined by their fathers. They are the brides who must be virgins on their wedding nights in a culture where if they are not, honor killings are common and often carried out by the girl’s own brothers.  To guard against this in many cases in the Muslim world, a simple surgical procedure –hymen restoration is performed. Fratricide (kill your own sister) can occur when a young woman refuses to marry a man of her family’s choice. Despite the fact that Islam states that a woman has a right to refuse a husband selected for her. In reality, familial pressures can be so strong; they may result in her death if she refuses.

Bride-price in Muslim countries confirms that a woman is a man’s property. Once married, every aspect of a woman’s life will be dictated by her husband. What she does, who her friends are, where she is permitted to go, how her children are raised, and even whether she may use birth control or be sterilized.  She cannot obtain a passport or travel abroad without his written approval.

If his spouse is not obedient, her husband may take another wife. Husbands are entitled to have four wives. According to Koranic dictates, should a man decide to marry again, he is supposed to obtain his first wife’s permission. He is also required to treat each wife exactly the same, in affection, time spent together, material possessions, and status. In practice, if his first wife doesn’t agree, he gets married anyway. And invariably he favors the newer and younger spouse.

According to the newer version of the Koran published Everyman, “Men are superior to women…”  The Koran 4:34 in most Muslim countries state;

As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and

ill-conduct, first admonish them, then refuse to share

their bed, and last beat them, but then if they return

to obedience, do not seek a way against them.

Radical Islam is not a religious organization. It is a bunch of ruthless criminals with twisted beliefs;