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概述-歷史記載
Introduction
- Historical Notes |
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梅毒首次大爆發 |
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查利八世/Charles
VIII
(1470-1498)
法國國王/King
of
France
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自古以來，性傳播疾病就已經眾所周知。但是，這些疾病首先出現在什麼時候和什麼地方卻不十分清楚。例如，梅毒在近代之初，就在歐洲以非常戲劇般的面貌出現。1495年，當法國國王查利八世入侵義大利和佔領那不勒斯的時候，他的雇傭兵與當地人有了性接觸，然後感染了梅毒，並將疾病帶回法國，不久梅毒迅速播散到整個歐洲。而且，在那時，疾病的症狀惡化得相當快和非常致命。不久，人們開始相信這種傳染病由哥倫布的水手先期帶到了這個地中海的港灣城市，這些水手又是從其新近發現的新大陸沾染上這種傳染病的。然而，有人發現的跡象顯示，梅毒在中世紀、甚至在歐洲史前就存在了（據此，似乎哥倫布的水手傳播之說也不成立——譯者注）。
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15世紀的那不勒斯。當時的油畫。
Naples in the 15th century. Contemporary
painting.
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The First Great Outbreak of Syphilis |
Sexually transmitted diseases have been known since ancient times. However, it is not quite clear when and where which of these diseases first appeared.
For example, syphilis made a very dramatic appearance in Europe at the beginning of the modern age. When the French king Charles VIII invaded Italy and conquered Naples in 1495, his mercenaries, through sexual contact with the local population, became infected and then, returning home, quickly spread the infection all over Europe. Moreover, at that time, the symptoms of the disease developed rather quickly and were very severe. People soon came to believe that the infection had been brought to the port cities of the Mediterranean by the companions of Columbus who had picked it up in the then recently discovered New World. However, in the meantime, one has found evidence of the prior existence of syphilis in medieval and even prehistoric Europe. |
