The Syphilis Explosion of the American Civil War

JAN 20, 202639 MIN
Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society

The Syphilis Explosion of the American Civil War

JAN 20, 202639 MIN

Description

<p>It's been estimated that between eight and twelve percent of soldiers contracted a venereal disease during the American Civil War. What on earth were they up to?</p><br><p>Kathryn Olivarius is a Professor at Stanford.&nbsp;She joins Kate to discuss syphilis, why it spread so far during the war and how it's impact continued after the war ended.</p><br><p>Kathryn is the author of 'Necropolis: Disease, Power, and Capitalism in the Cotton Kingdom'.</p><br><p>This episode was edited by Tim Arstall. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.</p><br><p>Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at <a href="https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><u>https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe</u></a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p>All music from Epidemic Sounds.</p><br><p>Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.</p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>