“Know syphilis in all its manifestations and relations, and all other things clinical will be added unto you.” Sir William Osler Henry Foong, a dermatologist from Malaysia and a good friend, recently wrote me about a patient he’d seen with primary syphilis. The disease we used to call “lues” or notate with the Greek letter ∑ (sigma) is becoming more common in Malaysia, in his experience. This reminded me of a memorable case I saw in the late winter or early spring of 1973. At the time, I was a first year of dermatology residency at New York University. I was not a happy camper. I was tired of New … Continue reading →