VENEREAL DISEASE AND THE LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION, by Thomas P. Lowry. University of Nebraska Press. 101 pages. $21.95.
"SEX IS THE long-ignored theme of Lewis and Clark and their immortal journey. Sex and venereal disease. Sex is 'the elephant in the living room,' the gigantic fact that all agree to ignore. Comments about sex and venereal disease run rampant in the pages of their journals, yet they are mentioned only in passing in the many books about Lewis and Clark.
"And what caused Meriwether Lewis' terminal insanity? What drove him to a truly bizarre mode of suicide, one in which he shot himself twice and then, some say, slashed his body from head to toe, adding strips of bleeding flesh to the gunpowder-burned holes in his chest and head? What could cause so brave and resilient a military leader to mutilate his body thus, as his final public act? Was it syphilis of the brain that skewed his thoughts?
"Of course, the journey of Lewis and Clark, now being commemorated in its bicentennial celebration, was about many things besides sex."
Thus writes Thomas P. Lowry of Woodbridge, a retired psychiatrist and associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco, in his preface to his 101-page careful study of the explorers' journals and discussion of the history of syphilis and medical knowledge from the 1400s up through the early 1800s and into the 21st century.
Organized by subject into six chapters, Lowry begins with an explanation of what syphilis and gonorrhea are, their symptoms, transmission and treatment. He then addresses what Lewis and Clark knew about these diseases.
"Lewis and Clark, on their immortal voyage of discovery, faced many perils: swelling rivers, thundering waterfalls, hostile Indians, blizzards, frostbite, starvation, grizzly bears, rattlesnakes, and the great unknown of the Rocky Mountains. Of these dangers, one of the greatest and most feared was venereal disease," Lowry points out.
Fully 15 percent of the medical supplies that Lewis and Clark carried with them was geared toward treating the "anticipated private miseries of the expedition," writes Lowry.
"Lewis and Clark, professional soldiers, were expected to function as pharmacists and physicians to a large expedition [and numerous Indian patients] for two years, without professional training in the medical arts. Not only did the two captains shoulder these medical burdens along with all their other responsibilities, but they seem to have done so with remarkable success."
Lowry enumerates the medical supplies taken along on the expedition, along with their uses; gives a history of the existence of venereal diseases around the world; and skillfully describes, in a way easily understood by a lay reader, the symptoms and historical treatments of syphilis and gonorrhea throughout the ages.
He addresses in detail Indian knowledge and remedies, but points out that almost none of this was known by Lewis and Clark, "in spite of access to the country's best library [President Jefferson's] and most knowledgeable consultants."
He then sets out, journal entry by journal entry, the experiences, sexual contacts by expedition members with the Indians met along the way and treatments given for symptoms of venereal disease. He writes: "Lewis was amazed and perplexed that Shoshone custom denounced clandestine adultery but allowed sex with a wife if the matter had been submitted to the husband for approval beforehand. He described sex between his men and the Shoshone women as 'this mutual exchange of good offices'"
In addition, among many of the Indian nations, the granting of sexual favors included hospitality, ritual and diplomatic purposes.
The aftermath of the expedition, Lowry points out, is more difficult to evaluate, as the records for the health and causes of death of most members is too scanty to allow for accurate evaluation of what effects, if any, of the existence of venereal disease among the Corps' members had on their lives and deaths.
For Lewis, "a scientific assessment of the disintegration of a brilliant young man requires an honest look," Lowry argues. "Four years after meeting with the Shoshones, Lewis was dead. Four years is long enough for tertiary syphilis to work its dreadful effects on brain and personality. What a witches' brew may have felled the captain: a powerful familial trait of depression; years of heavy drinking and opium use; a very difficult political situation [Lewis's governorship of Louisiana--no easy task at that particular period; as well as his lack of progress in obeying Jefferson's directive that he prepare the official journals of the expedition for publication]; and syphilis of the brain. The records of 200 years ago are insufficient to untangle the cause or cluster of causes of his tragic end."
But, Lowry concludes, "In Lewis' tragic death there is the distinct possibility that syphilis played a part.
"A summing up will show several key points. Lewis' shopping list shows that he anticipated venereal disease among his men. There is evidence in the records that syphilis was already widespread among the villages that the expedition visited, al-though whether the Corps brought further venereal disease to the Indians is unknown. There is evidence that there were sexual relations between many of the men and some of the Indian women. There is evidence that many, perhaps all, of the men received mercury treatment. In the records of the expedition after its return there is almost nothing to prove or disprove tertiary syphilis.
"On a wider scale, it would seem that the role of venereal disease has been given insufficient weight in understanding the challenges and dangers faced by the justly famous Corps of Discovery. The hardships they endured and the completion of their trip with only one death are almost unparalleled in the history of exploration."
Lowry ends by stating: "Whatever pain and disability the men suffered from venereal disease were wounds received in the service of their country. For every aspect of their immortal journey, they deserved and still deserve the thanks of a grateful nation."
I was fascinated by the extensive research the author has done on the subject and his ability to pack a large amount of information into a short book. Although I had been aware that syphilis was a widespread problem, what stunned me was learning the devastating effects that syphilis could have on those afflicted with it. Lowry has given careful and reasoned thought to an aspect of history that until now has been virtually unmentioned.
SANDRA D. SPEIDEN of Orange County is an online used book dealer. She has a lifelong interest in history and is an avocational prehistoric archaeologist. She can be contacted by e-mail at essdeeess@yahoo.com.