‘Harlots, witches and bar-maids'

The history of venereal diseases presents a challenging medico-social problem and many questions regarding the genesis of the disease remain unanswered. ¹ There are two main schools of thought on the origin of syphilis in Europe: the Unionist and the Columbian. Unionists argue that it was a mutant form of an old disease which suddenly became more virulent as a result of changing social conditions, living habits, or climate. Columbians, on the other hand, claim that syphilis was a new disease brought to Europe by Columbus and his men upon their return from the Americas in 1493. A lesser known school of thought, the astrological school, was founded by Peter Pinctor in 1500. Pinctor demonstrated the precise date and time of the emergence of the disease astrologically, to the satisfaction of himself and other astrological physicians of the day. He proved that the ‘new scourge’ first appeared with the conjunction of Venus with Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury in October 1493. ² Whichever school one follows, the deadly effects and the inability to treat the new disease is well documented.