What in the World is a Discipleship Group | CCF Leadership Podcast

You know what I can really go for right now? Literally anything that comes in a McDonald's carton, wrapper, or bag, or a McDonald's cup. Yes, any of those items you do it. We've got your cravings covered. Now, stop in for the flaky filet of fish, the crispy snack wrap, or a large fries for just $2.99. Limited time only, price and participation may vary, cannot be combined with any other offer. Bono, bono. Did I stop it? Sifilies. Okay, let me, let me back up a little. Hi, my name is Carolina, and this is TechStreet. It's a podcast where we read crazy historical text. If you want to support the podcast, head to patreon.com/techstreet for some additional materials and in general fun stuff. Back to the topic of today's video, which is the greatpox epidemic of the 17th century. Fun! This is going to be a little not-say-for-work, so proceed with headphones and caution, because both the nature of the disease, like the way it is transmitted, and also the descriptions of the disease might be a bit graphic. So, back in the 17th century, they actually couldn't really differentiate between several different sexually transmitted diseases. So we're not sure that the author of the text that we're reading today is actually referring to Sifilies. And even Sifilies back then was called numerous different names, so we're not even sure what he's describing. But also apparently back then, Sifilies was a very different disease, because from what I understand, it was as mutated over the centuries, and back then it was much more lethal, it was much more vicious, and it covered a much wider variety of symptoms than the disease that we know nowadays. I'm going to read a description of what went down when you caught Sifilies. It's a description from Science Museum in London, like literally their website is sciencemuseum.org.uk. And this is the description. Typically, a few weeks after sexual contact with an infected individual, painless ulcers would appear, sometimes just one and usually on the genitals. They could pass on notice, and either way they soon disappeared as the disease entered the period of dormancy, but not for long. In the secondary stage, a variety of symptoms could arise. Most commonly, these were rashes on one or more areas of the body, but they could include flu-like fatigue, headaches, and swollen glands. More distressingly, pustules could develop on the skin, which oozed a foul-smelling discharge. And this is a quote from 1519, "Boyles that stood out like acorns from once issued such filthy-stinking matter that whosoever came within the scent believed himself infected." This is the end of the 1519 quote. "Generally, these symptoms would gradually disappear and an individual might even believe themselves cured. Sadly, they would be wrong." Disease then lay dormant in the body for years, even decades before it reappeared. After this latent stage, the final stage was tear-ciari syphilis, which could be truly horrific. Again, it could manifest itself in a number of ways as an individual's skin, bones, and internal organs face severe and permanent damage. While some succumb to heart failure, others develop grotesque tumor-like growths known as gammas. They often appeared on the face as bone and skin began to rot and disintegrate. If the nasal cartilage collapsed, the sufferer could appear flat-faced and lacking in nose. So alarming could be the results that such individuals were often ostracized from society. In a significant minority of cases, the greatest impacts of the tear-ciari stage could be on the brain and nervous system. The so-called "mad houses" or "assilums" of the time contained many and aging syphilitic, often blind with their minds and personalities destroyed by the illness. Okay, that's a lot. Even concerning historical diseases, there is a lot happening. It completely destroys your body from my understanding of it. So the book we're reading today is called "Observations on the Venerial Disease with the True Way of Curing the Same". And from 1686, it's by Charles Peter a chirogean, so basically a surgeon. He was a royal surgeon and there is his trade card, which trade card was basically like a business card or a flyer, in the collection of the British Museum, and it says, "Charles Peter surgeon served King Charles II in E. That Wars. Surgeon of E. Horst Guards to King James and Surgeon of the Household to King William. Daily prepares his cordial tincture and pills, which have cured thousands of e-colic, stone, gravel, scurvy, and dropsy, etc. Gives advice to the poor as well as rich at his house in St. Martin's Lane, New Long Acre, where he had lived between 30 and 40 years. So this is the guy that wrote the book, and he also apparently ran a bathing house where he gave people his special treatments and medicines. So I think this book was written as a sort of look, guys. I actually know how to handle this, and he reason why I am so much better than all these other folks. And he describes a lot of his inventions and treatments that he thinks are best. But was he actually that much better? Well, I mean, syphilis treatment became successful around 20th century and the widespread manufacture of penicillin, so probably not. But let's see what he has to offer. Number one of the original of the Lewis Van der Erb, by the way, I'm going to butcher all those Latin names, but I don't care. And several names of it. Concerning the beginning of this disease, authors are various. And I find that it had had variety of names in several times and places, but my opinion is that the disease is very ancient and may challenge almost as much antiquity as the sin of uncleanliness. For the names of it, I will sit down by these few. The Italians call it Morbus Gallicus. The French call it Scabius Hispanica. And Morbus Italicus. In Spain, they call it Morbus Napolitanos. In England, we call it Morbus Gallicus. And Lewis Van der Erb by the last name, I intend to treat of it. This is actually very true. So throughout history, people were very confused as to where this disease came from, how it came about. Even modern scientists still struggle to pinpoint where in history it started. We used to think that it was brought by Columbus and his men from the New World and now a new study suggests that it actually existed in antiquity in Europe. So it's all very confusing. But it is true that people were very keen on accusing other people of being responsible for the disease. So for example, you would use that as an excuse to harass and bully minorities and other nations. And you would accuse your neighbors of bringing it into your country. So nobody wanted to take responsibility for it. And it was sort of a good thing to throw at people and be like, "Yeah, you're the ones that brought it here." As he mentioned, there were a lot of names for it and usually the name in your language or in your country would be that it's a disease of the people that you disliked or had beefed with or had worse with. So it was very emotionally charged. Chapter 2, the causes of the Lewis Van der Rea and several ways of infecting. The causes of this distemper are twofold. The first of an occult quality, being as a scourge laid on mankind by the Almighty to restrain our two wanton lusts. The other is by an impure touch or contagion, especially in copulation. Here we go to the, not say for a work part, but basically I find it so interesting and it always shocks me how I find it especially in 17th century writing. They, maybe that was the climate of, you know, the witch hans and all that, but they always tend to believe in some sort of supernatural powers of the God. So they would believe that God would interfere with their lives to the level of, you know, sending bad stuff, sending plagues down. And it's something that I think this appeared around 18th century. Maybe it was the enlightenment, but it remained in maybe rural communities, but a renowned surgeon in the city of London would probably not have the same theories by the end of the next century. A man receiving of an infected vapor or filthy zanies into the pores of the skin or into the urethra, as well as the before the ejecting of the seed, as after. The woman having either a gonorrhea or else an ulcer, or perhaps only the foul seed of some infected person left in her. Eehuhu some small time before. Which being lodged in the wrinkles of the womb, may be drawn in by the pores of the extended penis. What am I reading? So that it's possible for a man to get this disease by a woman that was never infected herself. Is it? I don't think it is. He's saying that someone, I don't want to talk about this, but he's saying that a previous guess of the woman left something a gift and then the next guess touched the gift and got infected. I don't think it's possible. There is a great deal of variety in bodies, some being far more easily infected than other, as sanguine and flemmatic persons, but are more easily cured than hollaric or melancholy persons are. So because of the four humor theory, they believed that there is like four types of people basically in the world or rather that the four humors combined make up your personality. So if you're depressed, they would probably be like, oh, he's just the melancholy humor is off the rails in this one. Which I mean, they had no better ways to describe things or understand any sort of psychology. So this is the best they got. Chapter 3, the signs of the Lewis Van der Raer. The signs of this December are various according to the strength and constitution of the patient. The general signs are these, a debility of the whole body as if married by much labor, which is caused by the infection of the spirits. Okay. So what he's saying is the plague or the great pox brother attacked your mind or your spirit rather as stiffness of the joints, but more especially of the hips and thighs, great pulsation of the arteries as shooting pain in the groins, pain in the cod, itching about the root of the yard, sharpness of urine and a pricking pain in erection, a flowing of yellow zanies from the yard of times. Okay, wait a minute. I had to dig deep in places I didn't want to to find out the 70th century terminology for men's private parts. So cod is testicles and yard is the penis flowing over yellow zanies from the yard. I don't want to know what that is, pain in the back and in the head. These are the infallible signs of a gonorrhea. Some of them happening to one and some to another. And yet I have known all of them to happen to one person and at one time some have other symptoms. I mean, he probably said a lot. He was a surgeon. He was probably called to pretty disgusting and hopeless cases. I'm gonna give it to him. I have not seen a person suffering from syphilis. So he probably knows best. But at the same time he was a 70th century man that had limited access to biology and medical texts and all that stuff and the knowledge that we have. So I'm gonna take whatever he says with a grain of salt because I'm assuming he saw things, but the way he interpreted things may have been drastically different to what we know now. Chapter 4 The Dangerous Effects of the Lewis Van der Rhea To demonstrate all the effects of this raging distemper would take up much time. Therefore, as briefly as possible, I will acquaint the how great a tyrant this disease is to those people who either scorned to own their have it or those who being ashamed to confess their condition rather venture to undergo it, and wisely to seek for help. I have known some so sordidly foolish that having had ulcers on the penis have so long flighted the disease until the penis had been mortified even unto the belly upon which it issued immediate death and some escaping with their lives have lost most parts if not all of the members. What is he talking about? I don't think I want to know what is this? Is he saying that it was some sort of deformity? What is happening here? Where the private parts so infected that they just fell off? Like what does mortified unto the belly mean? I am so curious but I'm really glad this book doesn't have any pictures because I am not ready to see anything regarding this and I'm just observing from a distance. So I have known of others to have been almost eaten up by this disease. Before they have known so much as the name of their malady, I think this is the problem that the science museum text mentioned which was after the initial symptoms of the disease it sort of quiets down and remains dormant for years and decades and you might not even notice that you ever had it until it's again a really bad state. I have seen many women with large ulcers in the neck of the womb which have caused continual pains by corroding of the parts. Some have the uvula and the palate of the mouth eaten away by ulcers and many you see who lose their noses by this violent disease. Some have the tip of the nose and nostrils eaten away. This is what the text as well mentioned and I think it must have been pretty common because there's a lot of literally the pictures of people with their noses deformed by syphilis or just mention of them in different texts and media so that was probably pretty common. Some lose their eyes and many they're hearing and some their mouths drone away and indeed could quote "moutitudes of examples of the fury of it". Again this guy saw things I 100% believe him when he says that. He's seen things that no one should see. Oh how intolerable are the pains that many poor wretches endure by this distemper especially in the night at which time it most boldly walks its rounds to afflict poor mortals. For indeed all pains are worse in the night than the day. I have to say this is something that gets me every time I'm reading any sort of historical texts or media regarding people's illnesses or just being ill because how did they do it? I just don't get it. There's so much pain and suffering that is solved now that we have methods to deal with and they didn't and I just really don't understand how an average person with chronic my grains or something survived in that era let alone someone eat and away by syphilis. I really don't get it. I mean even nowadays obviously there are people that are chronically ill or they suffer every day but at least we try. At least we study at least we have some sorts of methods of dealing with that. I mean even painkillers. They didn't even have painkillers. How did they manage? They must have been so uncomfortable all day time. Even small things that we can deal with like a toothache or something. It must have been so annoying to just exist in a body in a time when medicine was so badly. I just I really don't get it and descriptions of such horrific diseases such as this. How did they not just off themselves? Honestly I would not manage and imagine this is going for years. This is like 40 years of your life. If you're lucky you'll just cut something else and die before that but it's insane. It's insane to think about. So be grateful for whatever medicine you're taking because people have prayed for these four centuries. Chapter 6 of several ways of curing the pox. As there is great variety in the nature of this disease. So is there several ways used for the curing of it? Among which some are so dangerous that many persons have perished in their supposed cure and others have been attended by such fierce accidents that neither time nor example could ever remedy. As for example fumigation by cinema that old and dangerous way has proved itself so pernicious that the use of it is almost quite left. Okay so they did try things and some of them were even more deadly. Some of the cures were even more deadly than the disease itself. But also he points out that there is a great variety in the nature of this disease which leads me to think that he talks about syphilis but he also talks about other STDs that manifested in similar ways. So they were quite difficult to differentiate. Function by the common mercurial engine away though commonly used yet not commendable for by the use of the engine many times the salvation rises so fiercely that the patient is suffocated. So they tried curing the syphilis with mercury but they accidentally suffocated the patient. So that's not ideal. Sweating, which is diverse ways to be caused. Some use the hot house, banjo, so that's what a bath, right? Others, the tub or box and cradle. These, all these names tell me nothing. I don't actually know what he's talking about, but he's probably talking about like different types of sonas and bathing things to cause sweating. Diet, which is a safe way working moderately and yet surely. My meaning here is, by the use of a good convenient diet drink, aptly fitted to the constitution of the patient. This is literally something that a modern doctor would say to you when you're like eaten by a disease and they're like, "Yeah, you need to pay attention to your diet." So, I mean, nothing changed from 1686, everyone. Perjing, which is a safe way and daily experience teaches that many venereal cases are treated by no other means and yet are very handsomely cured. They love their perjing man. I mean, this was basically making your patient vomit and defecate so that all of the food is gone from their body. And I can with modest yeah firm that I have cured many hundreds by this way alone. For what other way can or maybe used to those poor unhappy wretches where pox and poverty are complicated and this to be observed that although none of the forementioned means are able to cure this disease without the help of perjing, yet this way has cured many without other helps. So, so far he's like, perjing is the most successful way to cure people of syphilis, which doubt chapter seven, the true way of curing the pox. This was all the other methods and now it is the right method to do it. Now, since so many ways are or maybe used for to cure this disease, it is the duty of every honest artist rightly to consider the patient's case and justly to weigh what sort of cure may be most fit for them. For us, there is great variety in the disease. So must there be in the cure. Yeah, he's already said that. Some persons must of necessity keep up. Others have not. They cannot have the convenience of retirement. Some bodies will admit of the most rough ways of cure. Others must have more gentle means used. I mean, this is all solid advice. If you gave strong medicine to someone that was already weak, you could worsen their case. First, observe there is degrees of the pox that no internal medicine can reach. No fume, no salivation, no diet, pergation, sweating, etc can help. What's then to be done? Where medicine cannot reach, manual operation must. For wherever the pox fows a bone, not but exfoliating can avail. I think this is to me the craziest part of this disease because years ago, I went to this chapel in southwestern Poland and the chapel was made of human skulls and bones because, you know, Catholicism. It was really old. Like all of the bodies there were. I think they dug them up in like maybe 17th century, made it into a chapel. It was probably like some plague victims. I don't remember exactly, but one of the guides showed us one skull that was at the front of the chapel. I think it was like under a glass and it had those weird spots on it. It had like growths on it. And I was like, how do you even, how does that happen? Like what sort of disease do you need to literally modify your bones? And the guy was like, yeah, syphilis. That's syphilis for you. That's one of the craziest things I've ever seen, I think. And every time they mentioned the bones in the book, I'm like, oh my god, I remember that's called chapter 9, the conclusion. I am now arrived at 40 years of age and must therefore know it is impossible to please all men. My little book will be read by people of all sorts and I must endure the snarling of naves and fools who neither well nor can do the like to advance the common good and fobs will find fault with what they cannot mend. And indeed it's hard for me to forbid it. For I am sure the substance of my book is new, though the disease be old. I have borrowed from no man. I have stolen from no author. I have written nothing but what I have seen and often experienced. Why does it sound like no AI was used in writing this book? And that in this town there is not a word in it, but that those that know me have at one time or other heard from me upon occasion in discourse or in consultations with physicians. And I hope I may without vanity say that he which takes the pains to read it will find something in it either like his own or some friend's case and that it will not be all together his labor lost. This last part made me wonder who the book was directed to. Was it directed to fellow physicians? Was it directed to people that were just curious about the disease? Was it directed to people that were suffering from the disease? Probably all of them. But I'm just like who was the target demographic here? Why did you? Because at the end he made it sound like there is other physicians that might disagree or think his methods are not that groundbreaking. So is that what the book was for to just brag about his new methods or was he actually trying to help people? I'm really curious because obviously he was a surgeon so he wanted new clients but then who could read who could read in 17th century London? Especially concerning you know people that were infected it was not the disease of the rich. That's we sometimes hear a lot of people living in poverty were also struggling with that and they could not read the book. So was it for someone that knew them or to care of them? I'm actually really curious but also I think back then you could basically know how to read and write and you would just publish your own stuff because you could I mean basically vanity, vanity publishing. I feel extra grateful for my health today not gonna lie. As I said every time I read the historical texts regarding medicine and disease I am so so happy I live in the 21st century. It must have been genuinely horrific to live in a past like generally I could never. So let me know what you think. Could you ever do it? Could you even time travel to that particular scene of like people being eaten away by a disease literally eaten away and you having to see that because maybe not maybe I'm not built for this I may faint probably and be never the same. So let's just remember them. Let's remember all that people went through. That's my motto of the day. I don't know. Anyway as always remember to support textoryonpatrion.com/textory and I'll hear you in another episode. Bye!