According to Wikipedia, the first known use of the term "syphilis" is from 1530. In this respect the story is off by four centuries. The origin of the disease,

According to Wikipedia, the first known use of the term "syphilis" is from 1530. In this respect the story is off by four centuries. The origin of the disease, however, is still debated. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_syphilis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_syphilis