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"Although there's a compelling narrative to suggest that Benjamin Franklin, given his amorous reputation and the time he spent in syphilis-ridden Paris, might have contracted the disease, we simply lack definitive historical evidence. Speculation and conjecture aside, as historians, we must remain grounded in documented facts. While we can entertain the question for the sake of curiosity, it's crucial to remember that, at this point, the notion remains a piece of historical speculation rather than established fact."
—Professor of 18th Century American History
Benjamin Franklin was a pivotal founding father during the American Revolution.
However, questions about his personal life continue to vex historians. Most notably, his sexual health.
Benjamin Franklin may have sexually transmitted diseases like syphilis.
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Benjamin Franklin was the most famous American in 18th-century Paris when he was America's ambassador to France.
He was known for his wit, charm, and diplomatic skills.
Franklin loved to visit salons of prominent women such as Madame Brillon de Jouy, Madame Helvétius, and the Countess d'Houdetot.
Benjamin Franklin was known as a womanizer.
He loved intelligent and beautiful women, and they adored him. Franklin used this time with these women for intellectual discourse and networking.
Some of these close associations have been up for debate, but there is probable cause that Franklin was having intimate relations with many of these women at the same time.
One famous example is when he played chess with a friend in that bathroom while one of his lady friends was bathing in the tub.
Syphilis most likely hit European society in the late 15th century after Christopher Columbus and his crew returned from their many voyages from the Americas.
The disease spread rapidly across Europe. The endemic affected all social classes, but it hit the aristocracy and rich especially hard.
Syphilis was widespread in 18th-century Paris.
Was Franklin exposed to this contagion based on all his secretive romantic escapades?
Looking into Benjamin Franklin's own writings, one can find possible evidence that he had syphilis.
Benjamin Franklin wrote about health-related topics in a light-hearted way, using both his wit and humor. He liked to write humorous descriptions of his ailments, including gout and the effects of aging.
He wrote many articles addressing health and sexually transmitted diseases.
In his essay "Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress," Franklin advocated for older women as sexual partners.
He theorized that there was a reduced risk of transmitting venereal diseases in this population. A possible link between an STD and a young mistress?
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In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin derived his understanding of diseases from medical theories at the time. Doctors thought illness spread through the body by 'humors' or mysterious 'miasmas'.
Germ theory was not known to doctors back then, and it only became common knowledge many years after Franklin's death.
Even if he had syphilis, it would have been tough back in this period to diagnose. There was just a significant lack of modern diagnostic tools. Doctors frequently got things wrong as they worked with an archaic understanding of the world that had not changed much since the Ancient Greeks.
Syphilis was notorious for its wide-ranging and deceptive symptoms. Many doctors confused it with conditions such as tuberculosis, lupus, and certain types of dermatitis.
Being that Benjamin Franklin was obese and had gout all the time made a diagnosis on him all the much more complicated.
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Despite much speculation and debate about his diagnosis, it's possible that he contracted syphilis or another sexually transmitted disease.
However, the evidence will remain murky and unresolved due to a lack of definitive historical evidence.
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