Tabes dorsalis

Tabes dorsalis is a slow degeneration of the nerve cells and nerve fibers that carry sensory information to the brain. The degenerating nerves are in the dorsal columns of the spinal cord (the portion closest to the back of the body) and carry information that help maintain a person's sense of position.
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Tabes dor·sa·lis n. A late form of syphilis resulting in hardening of the dorsal columns of the spinal cord and characterized by shooting pains, [more]Tabes dorsalis - Community and Resources

Noun
1. syphilis of the spinal cord characterized by degeneration of sensory neurons and stabbing pains in the trunk and legs and unsteady gait and incontinence and impotence
(synonym) locomotor ataxia
(hypernym) neurosyphilis

The slowly progressive degeneration of the spinal cord that occurs in the late (tertiary) phase of syphilis a decade or more after contracting the infection. Among the terrible features are lancinating lightning pain, ataxia (wobbliness), deterioration of the nerve to the eye (the optic nerve) leading to blindness, urinary incontinence, loss of the sense of position, and degeneration of the joints (Charcot’s joints). Tabes is the Latin word for decay. The term tabes dorsalis was devised in 1836 when the cause of the condition was thought to be wastage of the dorsal (posterior) columns of the spinal cord, well before it was recognized as part of late syphilis.