Sometimes serious complications arise which may prove dangerous and require the individual to be confined to his bed for weeks.
b. Gonorrhea.—This is incomparably more serious than chancroid. This disease is very prevalent among the incontinent, and it is claimed by some specialists in this field that from sixty to seventy-five per cent. of men have had gonorrhea before the age of thirty.
It is a contagious disease, acquired usually during intercourse, though the individual may become infected innocently from water closets, bath tubs, etc.
To become infected it is not necessary that there be an abrasion of the mucous membrane.
The disease manifests itself in from three to seven days after exposure by swelling of the orifice of the urethra, peculiar sensations between tickling and itching, and smarting or burning during urination. The peculiar sensations fix the attention to the genitals, thus causing frequent passage of urine.
These symptoms increase for about a week, when the disease reaches its maximum degree of severity, which is maintained a variable time, the discharge from the urethra being thick, creamy and of a greenish yellow color.
In the majority of carefully treated cases, the discharge ceases in from three to six weeks with apparent recovery. Unfortunately, however, there is frequently a tendency for the disease to become chronic. The discharge becomes thin and more watery and persists for an indefinite period. This condition—chronic gonorrhea—is commonly known as "gleet."
c. Syphilis, popularly termed the "pox," is a constitutional affection of the type known as "blood diseases."
It is by far the most important and most greatly to be feared of the venereal diseases. No disease has been so wide-spread in its dissemination or more potent in its influence upon humanity.
It has been known for centuries, having been mentioned by Japanese historians and in Chinese writings two thousand years ago.