What syphilis does to bones. In late stages, syphilis can damage bones—causing pain, swelling, deformities like saber shin, and even bone destruction. It often affects the legs, skull, and clavicle.

If left untreated, late-stage syphilis gives bones a swollen, "moth-eaten" appearance.

That's terrible

Wow

🙄

Why 🤯🤔

How many suffer in silence before the bones start to speak?

Hidden infection, leaving lasting scars.

It is a little creepy to see someone speak of this disease with such enthusiasm.

In the late (tertiary) stage of syphilis, the bacteria Treponema pallidum can spread to bones and cause chronic inflammation known as syphilitic osteitis or periostitis. This typically affects long bones like the tibia (shin bone), skull, sternum, and clavicle. The infection leads to bone pain, especially at night, along with swelling and visible deformities. A classic example is “saber shin,” where the tibia becomes bowed due to repeated inflammation and bone remodeling. In some cases, syphilis can cause gummatous lesions—soft, tumor-like growths—that erode bone tissue, resulting in deep damage or holes in bones. These effects are rare today due to early detection and treatment with antibiotics, but they were more common before modern medicine.

😳 wow