Quackery in the Treatment of Syphilis in Serbia / Nadrilekari u lečenju sifilisa u srbiji

During the multi-century Ottoman rule, there were no educated physicians in Serbia, and “folk healers” used to treat the sick. Just after the 3rd decade of the 19th century, when the first educated physicians came to Serbia, we can also speak about quackery. At that time, syphilis started spreading and some quacks became “specialists for syphilis”. They were most numerous in the North-East Serbia in the 4th and 5th decades of the 19th century. They represented a major problem, because people believed them more than they believed physicians, while the state authorities of just liberated country, tolerated them. The quacks were not familiar with the clinical features of syphilis, and mostly used mercury to treat it by fumigation and inhalation, rubbing it into the skin, proscribing mercury pills, while symptoms of severe, sometimes lethal intoxication were signs of successful treatment. They also used sarsaparilla. Authorities of the new Government often issued them permission to work, whereas professional control and prohibition of such treatment began in 1839, when the Health Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was established.

The most famous quack, “specialist for syphilis”, was Gojko Marković, who was also a “physician” and the first director of the Hospital for the treatment of syphilis in Serbia during a certain period. A married couple, Gaja and Kita Savković, were also well known, as well as Stojan Milenković, a young man in the service of Prince Miloš. There were, of course, many adventurers, imposters, travelling Turkish and Greek physicians, Gipsies, fortune-tellers, old women, and ignorant people of various professions. Their work was banned by the Government.