Phiranga roga: The history of syphilis in pre-independence India

Table 1: A chronology of key events related to syphilis in preindependence India.Year Event 1498 Vasco da Gama arrives at Calicut (Likely introduction of syphilis to India) 1550 Bhavamishra writes Bhavaprakasha -First systematic Indian documentation of phiranga roga 1650 Tibb-i-Akbari compiled -Unani medical text documenting atishak (syphilis) 1807 First lock hospitals established in Bengal for treating venereal disease 1864 Contagious Diseases Acts implemented -Mandatory registration and examination of prostitutes 1888 Contagious Diseases Acts officially repealed following social reform campaigns 1889 Cantonment Acts re-establish coercive measures under military jurisdiction 1895 Peak venereal disease rate: 522 per 1,000 British soldiers hospitalised annually 1905 Schaudinn and Hoffmann identify Treponema pallidum as causative organism 1906 Wassermann develops first serological test for syphilis 1910 Ehrlich and Hata develop Salvarsan -First "magic bullet" chemotherapy 1912 Neosalvarsan introduced -Improved formulation of arsenical treatment 1920 Arsenical injections for yaws/syphilis begin in colonial facilities 1924 Wassermann test introduced at Mysore mental hospital -Diagnosis increases from 1% to 17% 1932 Megaw survey estimates 5.5 million syphilis cases in India 1943 Mahoney demonstrates penicillin effectiveness -Beginning of definitive cure 1946 Bhore committee report lays blueprint for post-independence health infrastructure Mucheli and Manesh History of syphilis in pre-independence India