pink spots to small lumps and nodules, pimples and pustules, or large
ulcerating or crusted sores. The eruption is not necessarily
conspicuous, and may be entirely overlooked by the patient himself, or
it may be so disfiguring as to attract attention.

+Common Misconceptions Regarding Syphilitic Rashes.+--Laymen should be
warned against the temptation to call an eruption syphilitic. The
commonest error is for the ordinary person to mistake a severe case of
acne, the common "pimples" of early manhood, for syphilis. Psoriasis,
another harmless, non-contagious, and very common skin disease, is often
mistaken for syphilis. Gross injustice and often much mental distress
are inflicted on unfortunates who have some skin trouble by the
readiness with which persons who know nothing about the matter insist on
thinking that any conspicuous eruption is syphilis, and telling others
about it. Even with an eye trained to recognize such things on sight, in
the crowds of a large city, one very seldom sees any skin condition
which even suggests syphilis. It usually requires more than a passing
glance at the whole body to identify the disease. If, under such
circumstances, one becomes concerned for the health of a friend, he
would much better frankly ask what is the matter, than make him the
victim of a layman's speculations. It is always well to remember that
profuse eruptions of a conspicuous nature, which have been present for
months or years, are less likely to be syphilitic.

+The Contagious Sores in the Mouth, Throat, and Genitals.+--Accompanying
the outbreaks of syphilis on the skin, in the secondary period, a
soreness may appear in the mouth and throat, and peculiar patches seen
on the tongue and lips, and flat growths be noticed around the moist
surfaces, such as those of the genitals. These throat, mouth, and
genital eruptions are the most dangerous signs of the disease from the