The experience of syphilis in early Queensland as recorded through hospital records

The story of colonial expansion has often been entwined with the social and health impact of syphilis. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of syphilis (in its primary, secondary and tertiary forms) on hospital admissions and individual patients in Queensland in the pre-antibiotic era. This article centres on available hospital patient records for the years 1880–1920, stored at the Queensland State Archives. From these records, 220 cases of syphilis were retrieved, the majority diagnosed as primary-stage infections. Overall, it was found that the number of deaths from syphilis in its tertiary form was not significant compared with other causes of death in that period. The perception of colonial syphilis as highly prevalent and a serious threat to the population is not supported by our review of hospital records, which suggests that its reputation in relation to its social implications exceeded the evidence of its prevalence.