SYPHILIS PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1
ANTI-VD PROPAGANDA FILM DIRECTED BY
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL DR LUCIEN JAME
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT VAL-DE-GRACE
AND SM ROULLET SOCIAL HYGIENE LECTURER
In France, each year,
an average of 650,000 people die.
Of these, 140,000 deaths are caused by a venereal disease,
known as syphilis.
Syphilis, therefore, causes 1 death in 5.
This shocking figure, albeit an underestimate,
justifies the current, very strong term:
"Public Enemy No. 1", to describe syphilis.
This powerful foe, this social scourge must be defeated.
Our nation has no other choice.
For this, we need your help.
You must learn to recognise syphilis's surreptitious tricks,
as well as how it begins and how it progresses.
Finally, you must be convinced that it can be cured.
Syphilis, commonly known as "the Pox",
is caused by a very motile microbe called a treponema.
You can see it here, moving in all directions.
It can be identified by its twisted, spiral shape, like a corkscrew.
It is precisely this motility
that allows it to enter the skin and mucous membranes
during sexual intercourse.
Syphilis is not solely spread via the genital organs.
It can also be spread by, for example,
kissing someone with contagious syphilis.
The microbe enters the body
through even a small scratch on the lip.
Once introduced into the skin,
the treponema silently multiplies over the course of 20 days.
This is the incubation period,
in which there is no sign whatsoever at the inoculation site.
Afterwards, the first visible stage of a syphilis infection appears.
This is the first symptom, called a chancre,
which takes the form of an ulcer,
a small, round spot, sometimes so subtle that it goes unnoticed.
When the treponema has penetrated the lip,
the chancre appears at the point of inoculation.
The ulceration is accompanied, and this is a very important sign,
by swelling of the lymph nodes.
Here, these are the glands situated under the jaw
which enlarge progressively.
The chancre most often appears on the genital organs.
It is bright red,
and normally about the size of a 50-centime coin.
Usually, there is only one.
However, it is possible for 2 or even more chancres to appear
with the same colour and dimensions.
The chancre is not painful.
When pressed between the fingers, it feels hard and resistant
leading to the name "hard chancre", as opposed to "soft chancre".
It is also accompanied by swelling of the inguinal lymph nodes.
These glands are painless and do not weep.
It is very important to consult a doctor as soon as a chancre appears,
before commencing any local or general treatment.
The doctor will then confirm the diagnosis
by taking a sample of the serous fluid coming from the ulcer.
This serous fluid, placed on a glass slide,
will then be examined under a microscope
to look for the treponema.
Next, the doctor carries out a blood test.
If appropriate treatment is undertaken straight away,
the treponema disappears, the chancre heals,
and blood test results remain negative.
If, however, the chancre isn't recognised,
if the patient doesn't seek medical help,
or they seek inadequate treatment,
syphilis will secretly continue to grow,
and the treponema will multiply,
invade the bloodstream, and spread through the body.
The secondary stage of syphilis will then commence,
first with a measles-like rash, called "roseola",
in pink patches on the chest and sides,
as well as the back.
We also observe white or pink-ish white blotches
on the mucosae, known as mucous patches.
We see them in the mouth, on the tongue,
throat, and genital organs.
These patches, filled with treponemata,
are very dangerous,
as they lead to large numbers of direct or indirect contagions.
Direct contagion by sexual intercourse, or by kissing,
indirect contagion
via a variety of objects
which the syphilitic, with contagious mucous blotches,
has brought to their lips or contaminated with their saliva.
Don't copy this careless young man,
ignorant of the fateful consequences
of his thoughtless and seemingly trivial actions.
This secondary stage is particularly threatening.
The treponema, carried by the blood,
will invade and damage all the body's organs.
So, you understand how treatment must be aggressive and prolonged,
to avoid even more severe symptoms,
which are all the more surprising
as syphilis can progress undetected in the body for years.
These are the tertiary stage's symptoms,
which can appear 5, 10, or even 15 years after the chancre,
the most typical being syphilitic gumma,
which presents as a painless abscess, leading to an ulcer
which spreads progressively, and begins to weep.
Tertiary syphilis can reach any part of the body and affect any organ,
having the same ruinous effects.
Thus, the bones of the nose decay and disintegrate.
The liver and kidneys can atrophy in the same way
and no longer carry out their functions.
Arteries can harden,
in some cases leading to arteriosclerosis.
At this stage, syphilis is partial to certain body parts,
particularly the arterial vessels, and the largest of these, the aorta,
at the base of the heart.
The aorta will dilate, an aneurysm will silently develop,
which will eventually burst.
Suddenly, active and seemingly in perfect health,
a still-young man can die from a ruptured aneurysm.
In other cases, arteries in the brain burst,
leading to what is commonly known as apoplexy.
This can result in permanent paralysis of part of the body,
leaving the patient incapable, and reliant on family or society.
But the most severe complication is damage to the nervous system.
When the spinal cord is affected,
the syphilitic can display symptoms of locomotor ataxia.
See the gait of this man who has lost control of his movements.
It must be noted that syphilitics make up
most of the population in asylums.
When the treponema penetrates the brain,
the complications worsen further: progressive general paralysis,
then lunacy, with its regression.
This necessitates being sectioned in most cases,
and shortly leads to death.
The last point, which I feel is especially important,
concerns the hereditary and social consequences of syphilis.
If an infected individual marries, clearly he will contaminate his wife.
What is more, the children born of this union,
the heritors, as we call them, often die at birth.
Any survivors risk being marked for life by this inherited defect,
as well as transmitting the illness to their own children
if they are not treated correctly from birth.
The anti-syphilis treatment at this stage,
once again, leads to almost miraculous recoveries.
Sadly, due to ignorance and negligence
on the part of their parents, poor, innocent victims of syphilis,
stunted in their development,
will swell the throng of retards:
idiots, who will spend their lives behind the walls of an asylum.
I don't want to dwell on this sad, but true image
of syphilis when it is ignored or inadequately treated.
With this in mind,
I must point out the importance of the prenuptial examination
which should be mandatory for couples looking to marry.
This would avoid much distress and family drama.
Analyses of the blood and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord
are our best methods of testing for syphilis,
when carried out by reputable laboratories.
Of course, syphilis testing leads to syphilis treatment.
We have a wide range of medicines available,
especially effective when injected into the veins or muscles.
A syphilitic's future depends on the first doctor seen
and the treatment given from the beginning of the illness.
Diagnosis must therefore be made as soon as possible
and be totally accurate.
Be careful of quacks, and don't trust their miracle claims,
shown in adverts, offering a treatment too quick to be true
using ineffective medicines.
If you are contaminated, your natural first port of call
is your trusted family doctor.
National servicemen,
see your regimental doctor as soon as you have the slightest worry.
Also, be aware that in the VD clinics,
free to all in Paris and throughout France,
you can receive, free of charge if needed,
the medicines that you may require.
If everyone followed this advice,
much suffering and heartache would be avoided.
Hope and joy would be reborn in families, their health reconquered,
because today,
we can beat the treponema.
We can, thanks to long treatment,
deliver the body from this cruel germ.
We know how to cure it.
I want to finish on this word, "cure".
Yes, syphilis can be cured. Syphilis can be healed!
In exchange for this incredible deliverance,
we only ask for patients to do the right thing, and persevere.
Subtitles: Michael Craig