STUDIES IN EXPERIMENTAL SYPHILIS

Rabbits can be successfully infected with syphilis by the inoculation of surface wounds with virulent strains of Treponema pallidum. Old granulating wounds in these animals constitute a particularly favorable terrain for syphilis inoculation, the chancre developing relatively soon and attaining a greater size than the lesion occurring on the basis of a fresh wound. Coal tar dermatitis renders the skin susceptible to infection with Treponema pallidum. The possible reasons for these phenomena are discussed and an hypothesis to account for them is advanced.