The Washington times., 1914-06-17

who went about deliberately scatter
ing poison and thus sowing the seeds
of death? Is IL less criminal to kill
person with the virus Of blood
poison than with the virus of small
poX. scarlatina- or ship fever? Are
there not stringent laws for the pre-
vention OF these and other diseases?
When yellow fever prevails in a.
foreign country is not quarantine
strictly enforced against all vessels
touching our shores? When the cat
tie plague prevails is not the i'm
portation Of cattle strictly pro-
DR.. George NJ. Kober. dean of
the Georgetown University Medical
School. il a stanch advocate of re-
porting sex diseases. His opinion is
of special weight because OF the ex-
tended study he made of the subject
as chairman OF a committee ap-
pointed by the American Public
Health Association to investigate the
extent Of the disease and report on
preventive methods.
''I am convinced that the taboo on
sex topics in Anglo-Saxon countries
is directly responsible for q larger
prevalence Of these diseases in the
United Statoe and IT. England
Reports of the armies and navies
of all civilized nations show that the
ratio OF infected men Is larger in the
United States than in any other na-
ton, and Great Britain stands sec
ond. We concluded, after careful
study, that this did not mean that
our soldiers or sailors were more
prone to Illicit indulgences than the
men OF any other country. But we
did conclude that they represented
the ratio of prevalence that would be
found in civil life were the hgures
obtainable.
Spread In Civil Life.
Most of these recruits represent
the cream of rural young manhood
And yearly. at the conclusion OF
their enlistment terms. 1000 or mors
of them return to civil life.
II advocate registration from a
purely scientific point of view. The
neral opprobrium in which these
diseases are held has helped in
their spread. II they are to be
checked. it is time to try new tao
tics. There is no reason why strict
est confidence should be not pre-
served. Names should be given. but
held in the strictest secrecy. Scien-
tificaIy, we are interested in only
two things-the extent of the disease
and the best means of checking lts
further spread. But this registra-
ton could be made to serve moral,
as well as hygienic purpose, for IL
would afford an opportunity for the
health departments to place proper
literature in the hands OF victims.
DR.. Folkmar pointed to the clrcu-
lar of the Indiana State board OF
health, entitled Social Hygiene yer.
sus the Moral Plague" When nrst
printed 5000 copies of this circular
were distributed. and many more
have been circulated since that time.
The California board of health be
rsn similar work in 1910. devoting
twenty pages Of its monthly bulletin
TO special articles on the Red
plague" Oregon and Vermont ana
Massachusetts have issued leanets
on sex education and disease pro-
phylaXis.
SO far in this country" said pr.
Folkmar. lis the action Of the Cali
fornia state board of health In DE-
cIarine the sex diseases reportaole.
But New York city is farthest ao-
yanced in the matter of health DE-
partment control Of such diseases.
A hospital for their treatment mas
been provided.
Help For Victims.
"AlI public institutions, such as
hospitals, dispensaries. clinics. etc
are required TO promptly report
every case OF infection. Physicians
must furnish similar information
concerning private patients under
their care. excepting that the name
and address of the patient need not
be reported. The department OF
health makes free bacterial exami-
nations and furnishes free vaccine
for treatment Even the Wasser-
man and Noguchi tests are made
free Of charge. And free circulars
containing information regarding the
diseases are distributed.
There is no more forcible way TO
BEGIN a campaign against those dis
eases than by making them report
able. As soon as they legally are
recognized they become the subject
of statistics; they are talked, writ