HISTORY OF THE HERPES VIRUS

by Lauren Key Consultan Health

The various forms of herpes have been with us since the early days of mankind. It is one of the oldest sexually transmitted diseases and has been documented and attempted to treat over thousands of years. The first documented evidence came from the times of ancient Greece, around 450 BC. It was the Hippocrates which first wrote about the physical symptoms of herpes.

In fact, it was from the ancient Greeks that the word "herpes" originated, derived from the Greek word "herpein". Herpein means to crawl and creep, a reference to the ways the herpes sores migrate over an infected area.

In the times of the Roman Empire, The Emperor Tiberius was so concerned about the spread of the cold sores (HSV1) that during any public ceremonies or celebrations, he banned kissing altogether. Although this might be considered a little drastic, what the Roman physician named Celcus had in mind was far more concerning. His preferred method of treatment was to cauterize open herpes sores with a red hot poker! There is little documented evidence as to whether this method of treatment was successful, however I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief that it is no ... Read More...