Final answer:
A physician can cure syphilis with antibiotics such as penicillin in the third stage, known as tertiary syphilis, but cannot reverse damage already done to organs. The treatment aims to kill the bacteria and prevent further damage. The correct option is b.can cure the disease with penicillin or other antibiotics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Stages and Treatment of Syphilis:
A physician who examines a patient in the third stage of syphilis, known as tertiary syphilis, is facing a complex scenario. At this advanced stage, the syphilis bacteria may have caused significant damage to internal organs. While antibiotics, specifically penicillin, can cure the disease by killing the bacteria that causes syphilis, they cannot reverse damage to the organs that has already occurred. Therapies are aimed at preventing further damage. Option b, that a physician can cure the disease with penicillin or other antibiotics, is correct. Penicillin is the drug of choice for treating syphilis, with variations in treatment based on the disease's stage.
For clarification, the latent stage of syphilis comes before the tertiary stage and is characterized by the absence of symptoms; nonetheless, the bacteria remain in the body. In contrast, tertiary syphilis involves severe symptoms such as paralysis, blindness, seizures, and dementia due to damage to organs like the brain and heart. A physician can indeed diagnose the infection by looking at skin rash during the secondary stage, not the tertiary event.