List of syphilis cases
This is a list of famous historical figures diagnosed with or strongly suspected as having had syphilis at some time. Many people who acquired syphilis were treated and recovered; some died from it.
Many famous historical figures, including Charles VIII of France, Christopher Columbus, Hernán Cortés of Spain, Benito Mussolini, and Ivan the Terrible, were often alleged to have had syphilis or other sexually transmitted infections. Sometimes these allegations were false and formed part of a political whispering campaign. In other instances, retrospective diagnoses of suspected cases have been made in modern times. Mental illness caused by late-stage syphilis was once a common form of dementia. This was known as the general paresis of the insane.
| Tongzhi Emperor, Emperor of Qing Dynasty | Suspected to have had syphilis |
| Leo Tolstoy, writer | Suspected to have had syphilis |
| Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher | Cause of death disputed, but syphilis or mercury poisoning from syphilis treatment are leading theories. |
| Frederick Delius | Died from syphilis |
| Vladimir Lenin | Suspected to have had syphilis |
| Karen Blixen | |
| Adolf Hitler | Suspected to have had syphilis |
| Al Capone | Died from syphilis, gangster |
| Eugen Sandow, bodybuilder | Suspected to have had syphilis |
| Idi Amin | |
| Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, Prussian cavalry lieutenant general | Died from syphilis |
| Mikhail Vrubel, Russian painter | |
| Alger "Texas" Alexander, blues singer | Died from syphilis |
| Charles Baudelaire, French poet | |
| Alphonse Daudet, French novelist | |
| Guy de Maupassant, French writer | |
| Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French painter |