The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-03-27
MEDICAL
OPINION
CONTINUED from Page A.

Continued from Page ~
OF the double standard of morals
adopted by a cowardly society. con
eeals his pollution, puts on brazen
face, goes freely into society, and Of
ten ends by marrying some pure girl.
only to deposit in her lap-as a wed.
ding gift from the first wife, the pros
t1tute-the seeds OF the foul disease
which makes her innocent wifehood a
source of pain and misery, and often
renders motherhood impossible or
makes the child, if, indeed, one ever
sees the light, a wizened monster, more
mt for the grave than for sweet, hap
Ply, human relationships.
THE BURNING QUESTION.
[ need not remind those who know
SO well the problems of public hy-
glene, OF the trite fact that this has
been the burning question of the ages,
and that 1t was sexual immortality
which ate the heart out of the deca-
dent nations which have preceded us.
Egypt, AssyrIa, Greece, Rome and the
modern Latin nations are all by-words
for profigacy, and before their col
lapse lust ran riot, until they fell a
mass OF corruption, destined to rise
no more. Germany of today is satu-
rated with this vice, and IN spite of
her present fair showing before the
nations, owing to the splendid men
tally and the law-abiding character
of her citizens, she must, unless she
reforms in this matter within a few
generations, inevitably follow those
who have walked the downward path
into the pit before her. England and
America are today honeycombed with
this vice, which fiaunts itself at ev-
cry turn IN every town, at all our fire.
quented resorts, and nowhere more
noticeably than IN the city where we
row sojOurn.
L need not dwell on this aspect of
the case, for it is everywhere acknowl-
edged.
RESPONSIBILITY.
Responsibility. Who can escape it.
Every intelligent adult man and wom-
an has real, an unavoidable respon-
sibility touching this question, but
most heavily does 1t rest on the Shout
ders of the three liberal professions
ON the minister, the lawyer and the
physician. On this tripod, whose mem
bers are in constant living contact
with all ranks of society, rests the
welfare of our body polite, and
should we prove recreant to our trust
where is the hope for the body at
large.
The minister and the priest deal
with man as a responsible agent in
his relationship to God, preaching first
the law which says 'FThou shalt not, 4"
and then the loving message of grace
ever crying, Turn We, turn We, why
viii We die2'
The lawyer deals with the great
fundamental principle of the Justini-
an code: Thou shalt do thy neighbor
no harRI, in all its ramifcations; and
it is his province by legislative and
civil process to promote virtue in the
state, as the tried foundationstone
which is the essence of a good govern
ment and the sole basis of its perpe-
tuity.
1t is the manifest province of the
physician to prevent and TO hinder the
spread of the protean diseases which
harass or shorten life.
Some have ventured to question the
utilization of morals with medicine
forgetful of the fact that the very
diploma which the licentiate holds
proclaims him to be of good moral
character. Eliminate the moral side
of our calling and it is no longer a
calling, bat a trade.
PREVENTION BETTER THAN
CURE.
But why should we be at further
trouble than to treat our patients as
they come to US to be healed2 l once
thought long ago, when 1 was a medi-
cal student, that a physician s chief
business was to cure diseases, but a
quarter of a century OF experience has
shown me that the highest and noblest
practice of our art is TO prevent them.
What a pitiable showing does the his
tory OF all the recoveries by treat
ment from tuberculosis, malaria, ty-
phoid fever, yellow fever, etc, make
when we think of what might be done
By prevention through the enforce
ment of personal, domestic, municipal,
state and national hygienic laws, en-
forcing the knowledge we already pos
sess. 1t is not too much TO say that
these affections could be almost wiped
out in a generation, did not ignorance
and politlcs-to which some even
think of appealing for the relief of
venereal disease-hinder.
THREE POSSIBLE ATTITUDES.
There are three possible attitudes
in relation to the Social Evil:
| /. Indifference.
| g Government control.
All 6CtANC pfio pit'A ~ 'A7S'N'St Ii
spired by a profound sense of person
al responsibility.
INDIFFERENCE.
Indifference has peen the attitude OF
: the past; L trust that this day sounds
| it's death knell. l would simply i'm
| press on you the Iact that we have
| been living in this particular period
for many years, and If you observe
in your midst any appalling increase
| in loss of honor and decadence OF
morality among our young people, il
I is due to this regime of indiffer
| ence. and not to a system of any
| kind which has been on trial. Please
note emphatieally that indifference
and Indifference alone, has been tried
and found wanting.
| The outcome of Indifference ha:
been sin and disease running riot; {
system of blackmail debauching oul
police service; and the corruption OF
| the whole body polite.