In the early twentieth century, many physicians held to false assumptions regarding the effects of

Courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration Southeast Region Records of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

Eunice Rivers and Dr. Walter Edmondson

In the early twentieth century, many physicians held to false assumptions regarding the effects of syphilis on white and black people. It was believed for a time that syphilis affected the the neurological systems of Caucasions and the cardiovascular systems of African Americans.