The first year of my fellowship with Dr. Hess(1976), Dr. Gene Stollerman, a giant in Rheumatology with a special interest in Strep infections, presented a case of classic SLE. I wondered why as the diagnosis was obvious and the disease was well known to the audience. At the end, all was revealed. The case was that of a tertiary syphyllis patient prior to penicillin in the early 20th century, Infections, autoimmune diseases and malignancies do indeed share common features.