Recovery.—­The chances are better when the disease forms gumma (tumors) than when the blood vessels are diseased.

Treatment.—­Should be begun and properly carried on when the person has the primary sore (chancre), and then these after troubles may not follow.  This is one of the diseases where the victim reaps a big harvest on account of the sexual sin, and in order to escape the bad results for himself, etc. he should go through a regular course of treatment when he first contracts the disease, perhaps for a year or more, This treatment should last as a rule for some years.  It is late to begin when the brain symptoms show brain involvement.  For this there must be radical and careful treatment with mercury and iodide of potash; with tonics and general building up treatment, and then even if the patient lives he may be a nuisance to himself and others.

General paresis. (Paretic dementia.  General Paralysis of the Insane.  Softening of the Brain).—­This belongs under diseases of the mind, but there are so many cases that a description of this disease may be instructive and interesting.  One author says:  “General paresis is a chronic, progressive, diffuse, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), resulting in structural changes in the cerebral (brain) tissue, with involvement of the cortical, and meningeal, (covering) blood and lymph vessels, presenting characteristic symptoms, with progressive course and fatal termination usually within three years.”  There are three stages:—­1.  The period of incubation (the prodromal stage). 2.  A stage of pronounced mono-maniac activity with symptoms of paralysis. 3.  Stage of extreme enfeeblement with diminution and final loss of power.  These stages run into each other.  First stage in a typical case:—­There are tremblings and slight trouble in speech and expression of the face.  The mind has exalted and excited spells, etc.

Symptoms.—­The patient is irritable.  The mental and moral character is unstable.  His affairs are in confusion.  He uses bad language, neglects his family, goes with drunkards and bad women, makes indecent proposals to respectable women of his acquaintance without realizing that it is improper.  He cannot keep his mind on one thing.  Speech is a little thick, indistinct and hesitating.  Syllables are dropped or repeated, speech finally becomes undistinguishable.  He is very excited; he thinks he is persecuted.  He is a big fellow generally.  He is a king, he is rich and mighty.  This is the usual run.  As the disease progresses he becomes feeble-minded more and more so continually.  Persistent insomnia comes on early and frequently recurring, one-sided headache often goes with it.  Sometimes there is an uncontrollable desire to sleep.  Loss of consciousness is an early symptom.  After severe attacks there may be one-sided paralysis (hemiplegia) which usually disappears in a few hours or days.  Convulsions like epilepsy may appear early, but usually