Endemic yaws in early 20th century Kerala.

*Dr. Govindans Hospital, Convent Road, Thiruvananthapuram – 695 001 Received: 15.12.2011; Revised: 08.05.2012; Accepted: 08.05.2012 Y w s i s a d i s e a s e c a u s e d b y T r e p o n e m a p a l l i d u m s u b s p . pertenue, a spirochaete closely related to Treponema pallidum, the causative agent of syphilis. It is one of the non-venereal treponematoses, the others being pinta and endemic syphilis.2 The endemic treponematoses are transmitted by direct contact, acquired during childhood and can cause severe late manifestations years after initial infection. Yaws is chronic and manifests in primary and secondary stages. The primary stage is characterised by a single skin lesion (“mother yaw”) followed by multiple disseminated lesions. The skin lesions are infectious and may persist for years. Late manifestations include bone, cartilage and joint infections in the form of granulomas (gummata) or destructive lesions which cause deformities. In the 1930s yaws was an endemic disease in the hilly areas of the princely state of Travancore in South India. Dr Sankaran Govindan was an assistant surgeon in Kadakkal, a small town in Endemic Yaws in Early 20th Century Kerala