Syphilitic manifestations of serious character develop, however, not only in the nervous system, but also in certain of the important internal organs. The liver may become so much affected as to refuse to do its work. Solid tumours may develop in the stomach, or along the course of the intestines, resembling cancer so much that occasionally operations are performed for their removal. As a rule, however, these yield quite promptly to proper antisyphilitic treatment. Whenever an obscure intraabdominal tumour is present, accordingly, it has become the custom among physicians and surgeons not to make an absolute diagnosis nor to perform any serious operation until antisyphilitic treatment has been tried. The surprises of such treatment constitute a very interesting chapter in obscure diseases in medicine. As we said at the beginning, it is perfectly possible to have contracted the disease innocently, and indeed, the first manifestations may be so mild as to fail to attract the patient's attention. In these cases there will be no history of syphilis, yet the test of antisyphilitic treatment will demonstrate that the disease has been present. Not a few physicians have died from these serious manifestations of syphilis after having contracted the disease through a cut on the finger or the prick of an infected needle in the ordinary course of their professional work. Some of these cases in young men prove to be especially malignant and fail to react to treatment, so that a fatal issue takes place within a few years. {324} On the other hand, in general it may be said that the disease is eminently curable, though it may require great care on the part of the patient and the avoidance of all excesses either of work or indulgence for the rest of life. It has often been noted that people who live in the midst of serious emotional strain are most likely to suffer from manifestations of syphilis in their nervous system. Hence it is that paresis and locomotor ataxia are comparatively quite common among actors, brokers, and financiers. They are also quite common among sea captains and military men who are exposed to severe hardships and have to assume weighty responsibilities. In such men the previous attack of syphilis has so weakened the nervous system that it degenerates under the strain placed upon it by the subsequent responsibilities. These diseases are very uncommon among clergymen and are less common in Ireland than in any other country in the world, which would serve to confirm the opinion that the venereal disease is a prominent factor in their causation.