A devastating infection known as syphilis began spreading across Europe in 1495, causing severe skin eruptions. The disease was blamed for various countries, including Italy, France, Russia, and Poland, with different names used to describe it – “the French disease”, “the Neapolitan disease”, and “the Polish disease”.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2024/12/18/syphilis-ancient-dna-americas