The time allotted to me will not suffice for more than a brief survey of the conditions demanding surgical intervention occurring in syphilis.
I first desire to emphasize the fact that many practitioners overlook most brilliant opportunities in the treatment of syphilis by regarding the disease too specifically. In other words, when they meet a condition which does not yield readily to antisyphilitic medication they appear to be helpless. As I will endeavor to demonstrate, there are many instances in which radical measures of a surgical character constitute the primary indication, internal medication occupying an almost secondary position in the cure of the given lesion. It is, of course, acknowledged that in such cases, once the lesion is under control, specific medication is a sine qua non to complete the cure of the constitutional condition and prevent recurrence of the lesion.
CHARACTER OF LESIONS WHICH REQUIRE SURGERY
The initial lesion