Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-01-07
The Community Health
The Marr;as. Law in Wisconsin.

The Marriage Law IN Wisconsin.
At the last session Of the Wisconsin
Legislature an amendment to the mar
riaSe law Of the state was adopted,
providing that all male persons making
application for q license to marry shall
within fifteen days prior 20 such appli-
ca ton be examined as to the existence
or nom existence Of any venereal dis
eases. It is further required that the
certificate Of the physician making the
! examination shall show that such
| person 10 free from acquired venereal
diseases 30 nearly as can be determined
by physical examination and by the
application Of the recognized clinical
and laboratory tests OF scientific
search" It also provides that physi-
clans making such examinations shall
be duly licensed to practice and shall
be Of good moral character and
scientific attainanents and not less
than 80 years of age. For the exami-
nation and certificate the physician Is
to be paid q fee by the applicant not
to exceed 50. If the applicant is in
digent. the examination may be made
by the county physician without
charge. The law further provides that
ANY physician who shall knowingly
and wiifully make any false statements
In the certificate shall be guilty
OF perjury and a. conviction un-
der this subsection shall revoke the H.
cense of such q physician to practice
in this state" Physicians are thus ex-
pected to furnish certificates. knowing
that any false statement therein will
put in Jeopardy their right to practice
medicine and to earn a professional in
come in the state. The physicians OF
the state were active in securing the
adoption Of this law. 1t is safe to say
that 50 per cent OF the medical profess
sion OF Wisconsin are in favor Of the
principle Of the legal restriction Of
marriage to those who arc physically
At to enter into such Il contract.
Nevertheless strenuous opposition has
arisen against the enforcement Of the
law among members Of the medical
profession. The Milwaukee Medical
Society has taken a definite stand
against it and its members have been
quoted as saying that they will refuse
to furnish certificates. Unfortunately,
the first statement which appeared was
simply that physicians objected be-
cause the fee Of SO was not satisfac-
tory. Newspapers thruout the state
have consequently described the stu
alton as q Strike Of physicians for
higher compensation. When the stu
alton is understood, says The Journal
OF the American Medical Association.
it is seen to be entirely different from
that presented by this statement. The
law requires that physicians making
such examinations must apply 'recog
nized clinical and laboratory tests Of
scientific search" Such an eXamina-
ton would Involve not only a physical
examination OF the applicant but also
a microscopic examination for the de-
mann test for syphilis. The making OF
these examinations requires an elab-
crate laboratory equipment so expen-
sive that few physicians possess il. The
customary Zee for q Wassermann test
alone is from $40 TO S25. Even the
large commercial laboratories specially
equipped for such work and making
many such examinations daily charge q
fee OF IS. Certainly this amount must
be recognized as the smallest sum for
which such an examination can fairly
be made. A conscientious examination
for the detection Of sonorrhea should
also entitle the examiner to an ade-
quate fee. Yet this law provides that
physicians shall make both Of these
examinations as well as physical
examination for SO. This Is not only
absurd. but also unfair and inequitable.