sordered menstruation and other
uterine diseases may be traced to this cause. Another serious
infection in babies and young children is gonorrheal inflammation of
the joints, with more or less permanent crippling.

=SYPHILIS; THE POX; LUES.=--Syphilis is a contagious germ disease
affecting the entire system. While commonly acquired through sexual
intercourse with a person affected with the disorder, it may be
inherited from the parents, one or both. It is often acquired through
accidental contact with sources of contagion. Syphilis and
tuberculosis are the two great destroyers of health and happiness, but
syphilis is the more common.

=Symptoms.=--Acquired syphilis may be divided into three stages: the
primary, secondary, and tertiary. The first stage is characterized by
the appearance of a pimple or sore on the surface of the sexual organ
not usually earlier than two, nor later than five to seven, weeks
after sexual intercourse. The appearance of this first sore is subject
to such variations that it is not always possible for even the most
skillful physician to determine positively the presence of syphilis
in any individual until the symptoms characteristic of the second
stage develop. Following the pimple on the surface of the penis comes
a raw sore with hard deposit beneath, as of a coin under the skin. It
may be so slight as to pass unnoticed or become a large ulcer, and may
last from a few weeks to several months. There are several other kinds
of sores which have no connection with syphilis and yet may resemble
the syphilitic sore so closely that it becomes impossible to
distinguish between them except by the later symptoms to be described.
Along with this sore, lumps usually occur in one or both groins, due
to enlarged glands.

The second stage appears in six to seven weeks after the initial sore,
and is characterized by the occurrence of a copper-colored rash over
the body, but not often on the face, which resembles measles
considerably. Sometimes a pimply or scaly eruption is seen following
this or in place of the red rash. At about, or preceding, this period
other symptoms may develop, as fever, headache, nausea, loss of
appetite, and sleeplessness, but these may not be prominent. Moist
patches may appear on the skin, in the armpits, between the toes, and
about the rectum; or warty outgrowths in the latter region. There is
sore throat, with frequently grayish patches on the inside of the
cheeks, lips, and