ire cornea assumes the appearance of ground glass. The
chief complaint is of dimness of sight, which may almost amount to
blindness, but there is little pain or photophobia; a certain amount of
conjunctival and ciliary congestion is usually present, and there may be
_iritis_ in addition. The cornea, or parts of it, may become of a deep
pink or salmon colour from the formation in it of new blood vessels. The
affection may last for from eighteen months to two years. Complete
recovery usually takes place, but slight opacities, especially in the
site of former salmon patches, may persist, and the disease occasionally
relapses. _Choroiditis_ and _retinitis_ may also occur, and leave
permanent changes easily recognised on examination with the
ophthalmoscope.
Among the rarer and more serious lesions of the inherited disease may be
mentioned gummatous disease in the _larynx and trachea_, attended with
ulceration and resulting in stenosis; and lesions of the _nervous
system_ which may result in convulsions, paralysis, or dementia.
In a limited number of cases, about the period of puberty there may
develop _deafness_, which is usually bilateral and may become absolute.
_Changes in the Permanent Teeth._--These affect specially the upper
central incisors, which are dwarfed and stand somewhat apart in the gum,
with their free edges converging towards one another. They are tapering
or peg-shaped, and present at their cutting margin a deep semilunar
notch. These appearances are commonly associated with the name of
Hutchinson, who first described them. Affecting as they do the
permanent teeth, they are not available for diagnosis until the child is
over eight years of age. Henry Moon drew attention to a change in the
first molars; these are reduced in size and dome-shaped through dwarfing
of the central tubercle of each cusp.
#Diagnosis of Inherited Syphilis.#--When there is a typical eruption on
the buttocks and snuffles there is no difficulty in recognising the
disease. When, however, the rash is scanty or is obscured by co-existing
eczema, most reliance should be placed on the distribution of the
eruption, on the brown stains which are left after it has passed off, on
the presence of condylomata, and of fissuring and scarring at the angles
of the mouth. The history of the mother relative to repeated
miscarriages and still-born children may afford confirmatory evidence.
In doubtful cases, the diagnosis may be aided by the Wass
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