Amalia's Tale: A Poor Peasant, an Ambitious Attorney, and a Fight for Justice

Host: Leslie P. Lundt, MD Guest: David Kertzer, PhD We all know that sometimes the answers to today’s problems can be found in the past. Our guest today will take us to 19th century Italy where we will have a glimpse into a dark page of social and medical history. At one time, up to 10% of European men had syphilis – its victims were rumored to include Beethoven, Van Gogh, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde, Flaubert. But the syphilis epidemic had another side that hasn’t gotten much attention. Dr. David Kertzer of Brown University has written a detailed account of how one Italian woman contracted syphilis from an infant. He joins host Dr. Leslie Lundt to discuss his latest book, “Amalia’s Tale”.