White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1913-05-04
NEED OF EDUCATION IN
SEX HYGIENE.

Recognition of their responsibility
has resulted In a marked awakening
of physicians to their obligations as
leaders and teachers in the science of
keeping we'll. The essence of pre-
yentive medicine is education, and
physicians, by virtue of their train
ing, experience and ideals, ought to
be leaders and teachers. Yet until
within a few years their responsible
ties we're not recognized in the pre-
vention of veneral disease and educa-
tion in the hygiene of sex.
The earlier policy of silence and
repression in regard to these matters
is fast changing not only on
our part but on the part of
parents and educators. The
sinister menace of veneral dis
ease can hardly be ov~erestimated. In
the United States 10000 males
reach early maturity annually. At
least so per cent, or 450,0 of these
young men. will at some time become
infected with venereal disease, 20
per cent, before the age of %, so
per cent, before %, and over so per
cent. before they pass 80. This is the
morbidity among males reaching 16
in any n year. Each succeeding
year adds a similar group to the ag-
gregate.
Syphilis and gonorrhea undoubt-
eddy surpass in prevalence all other
infectious diseases combined, and
their immediate and disabling effects
fall most heavily on the most active
and productive period of life.
G%onocoecus infection alone is respon-
sible for 80 per cent, of all deaths
from inflammatory disease peculiar
to women, 70 per cent, of all special
operations on women, and over so
n~ecoiogists; so per cent or more of
these infected women are left ir-
%remediably sterile besides the num-
Der whose offspring are still-born,
premature, weakly. diseased or men
tally defective.
Considering the terrible rayages of
these diseases and their wide preva-
lence, our effects at preventive
measures have been wofully in
adequate, says the Journal of the
American Medical association. The
community and state assume i'm
mense burdens in the are of victims
of such conditions as d~eaf-mutism,
mental effectiveness. general par
alysis, blindness and many others.
Yet the prevention of a large per-
centage of these conditions by pre-
~vention of syphilis and gonorrhea re-
ceives but meager attention. If
bubonie plague had but a fractional
percentage of the incidence of these
diseases all hands would be joined to
drive it out Cholera in a civilized
country today is no such social and
national menace as venereal disease.
We appropriate great sums to fight
certain epidemic diseases and to
maintain a rigid quarantine against
them, but we are only now beginning
to wage warfare against diseases
which are as dangerous as any
epidemic disease and far more
dangerous than many.
There are various points of attack
in this problem and various closely
related problems. But there is one
point of attack in combating the
spread of yeneral disease which is
justly regarded by many experienced
workers as the most vital and
strategic and this is the education of
the young. There has been an up
heavel in pedagogic and social senti-
ment in the last few years regarding
the question of ~sex-teaching in home,
school and college. Conventional
prejudice against such teaching is
giving way rapidly, and results are
already beginning to appear.
Educators are coming to believe that
these subjects have a rational and
vital place in the educational system.