Could Syphilis Be Cured Before Antibiotics?

Before effective treatments were available, syphilis could sometimes be disfiguring in the long term, leading to defects of the face and nose ("nasal collapse"). Syphilis was a stigmatized disease due to its sexually transmissible nature.

How did they treat syphilis before antibiotics?

In the early 16th century, the main treatments for syphilis were guaiacum, or holy wood, and mercury skin inunctions or ointments, and treatment was by and large the province of barber and wound surgeons. Sweat baths were also used as it was thought induced salivation and sweating eliminated the syphilitic poisons.

Can syphilis cure without antibiotics?

Symptoms of syphilis, such as sores, will resolve and go away. However, the underlying disease does not go away without antibiotics. With treatment, syphilis is curable.