Eponymous Osseous Signs in Congenital Syphilis: A Narrative Historical Review

The early origin of syphilis remains debated; bone involvement was recognized in early clinical accounts and described with increasing precision as pediatric pathology and radiography developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many such observations entered medical usage through eponymous labels, yet these have not been examined as a coherent group.

We reviewed the origins and early clinical descriptions of eponymous osseous signs of congenital syphilis between 1871 and 1928 and to outline their present-day relevance. A documentary review was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE and major digitized archives (Gallica, HathiTrust, Internet Archive, Wellcome Collection). Searches in English, French, and German were supplemented by citation tracing. Eponyms were included only when they appeared in at least two sources beyond the original report. Primary sources were analyzed for clinical features, anatomic site, date, and brief biographical context. Six eponyms met inclusion criteria: Parrot (1871), Fournier (1887), Fraenkel (1897), Wimberger (1925), Du Bois (1926), and Higoumenakis (1928). All were originally described in the context of congenital syphilis, primarily affecting infants and young children. Collectively, they illustrate patterns of cranial and clavicular hyperostosis, metaphyseal lucencies, and congenital digital anomalies. Although these signs no longer hold significant diagnostic value, they demonstrate how clinicians recognized skeletal involvement before serologic testing became widely available. These eponymous signs form a small but coherent historical record of how early clinicians interpreted the skeletal effects of congenital syphilis. While of primarily historical interest, they retain some value in prompting consideration of congenital infection when unexpected metaphyseal or hyperostotic changes are encountered in infants.

Summary: This narrative review revisits six eponymous osseous signs of syphilis and imaging features that may help distinguish syphilitic bone disease from key mimics.