Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been around for hundreds of years, but it wasn't until recently that doctors realized syphilis and gonorrhea were caused by distinct bacterial infections, and not symptoms of the same disease. The reason for this discovery is partly due to a critical error in one doctor’s attempt at self-experimentation. Without the practice of safe sex and the absence of antibiotics, STD rates were ridiculously high and widespread throughout Europe in the 18th century. As a result, it was difficult for doctors to separate the symptoms of syphilis from those of gonorrhea.
Dr. John Hunter was one of these doctors. As a leading expert on venereal diseases in London, he proposed that gonorrhea and syphilis were both manifestations of the same illness, and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to prove his theory. Hunter purposely injected his penis with pus…
