>> A friend of mine who studies the history of childhood says that in the
>> nineteenth century syphilis among small children was so common that the
>> newspapers carried ads for tonics and such especially designed for this
>> problem, which was never openly attributed to sexual abuse.
>>
>
> It can be congenital though right? Or was that just a Victorian
> plot/sentimentality device?
>
That's true. It can be passed on, I think. My friend would be able to describe the facts better than I could.
SA