The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-01
CAMPAIGN AGAINST SOCIAL DISEASES ID BEGIN IN ALABAMA Government Will Aid Finar. cially in Reaching Every
 County in State OFFICIALS STUNNED
 BY CAMP SHOWING Ninety Out of Every Hundred of Four Thousand Colored Men at
 Camp Sheridan Found
 Infected


 statewide campaign against social dis cases in Alabama will be inaugurated Monday by the state health department assisted fy the government officials and war and navy departments. Decision to conduct tile crusade followed reports that approximately 90 out of every hundred se- lected negroes to arrive at Camp Sheri. dan were affected. The work in Ala bhma will be in charge of Prof. w C. Blasing game, former Auburn educator, but for the past several months stationed at Camp Sheridan.
 Dr. s. w. Welsh of the state health department. left Saturday night for Wsh- ington, where he will ask the assistance of government officials in carrying on the campaign. He also will discuss other co operative work.
 The statement of the health depart. Inent, issued Saturday afternoon, fo.- tpws:
 sTo the People of Alabama:
 The state board of health, .operat- t1g with the United States public health service and the war and navy depart ments, will begin this week a crusade against social diseases in Alabama. The appalling, necessity for such a crusade will be recognized when it is learned that more than % out of every 100 of the 4000 colored troops recently assembled at Camp Sheridan have been found to De infested with one or the other of these diseases. It is not known at this writ. ing the incidence among the white drafts AIxr od o a Wheeler, Macon, Ga.
 The state board of health regards this as sociological rather than q medical problem. We know the remedies and methods to be used in effecting cure, but in the case of every contagious dis ease three things are necessary before the sanitarIan or the medical man can accomplish anything. It must be known what the disease is. Who has the disease. and where the individual effected is To- cated. Given exact knowledge of these three points. the sanitarian and the med ical man are ready for action.
 LOCATING CONTAGIOUS DIS-
 SEASES
 Tt is no trouble for the sanitarian to locate smallpox, diphtheria or scarlet fever The general public are quite wilt ing to give information on these all < ments, but In the case of social diseases, the custom of long years of coheealmeit has brought the medical men and the public to fha point of regarding 1t as violation of professional confidence to give any information whatever to the health authorities about them.
 Tt is probably true that social dis ea5e infection has caused a greater de. gree of degeneracy in the human race than ill other agencies combined since Adam left the Garden. Custom and edu cation makes it particularly hard to make even Beginning in this crusade Gus tom and education have damned womch prostitute; 10 eternal damnation. Custom and education has licensed the male prostitute, and in many instances given hini the highest honors of the state in stead of sending him to the pefiitentia-y for wrecisins happy homes. tOur ideas and habits of thought must be fecast on this problem before we cat make any progress toward it's control. Undertaking these views, the board mas selected Professor Blasingame Of the Auburn Polytechnic faculty, to bring this subject t6 the attention of the people Of Alabama It is pioneer work, anG Professor Blasinsanes success in other fields of pioneer work leads us to be- lieve that lie is peculiarly fitted to bring to the attention of our people the enor nifty of tue problem with which we arc dealing.
 ENTIRE PUBLIC INTEREST { ..The object of the crusade Is to enlist the interest of the thinking public in the means devised for the control of these diseases. .is -,.. ,.. l.... ~o,,t r,,,t fr0,,, W. rh ifrtt6n city to every state in the union which has the indorsement of the sec retafy of War, the secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Treasury. and their respective representatives, the sur. gons general of the army, navy and pti''- lie health service. This plan involves the passage by the state legislature of q bill whicn will compel every doctor m the state to report to the state board of health every case of social diseases which come to his attention in the, stare. A plan which will protect the individual from publicity, if his cooperation can ! be obtained, has been devised. The cases | are to be reported by serial number and | the names of the individuals will be | known only to their professional advis' CTS But every individual found to be in fected will. he compelled to take, treat. ment under reputable supervision until pIOHOuHtcu Cuicut tNiN oh'Ss At,.'S- - " which will prevent such individual fror. communicating the disease to others, or else be quarantined until cured.
 ESTABLISH FREE CLINIC
 ssProfesscr Blasingaine will undertake to establish in every county in the state i a free clinic for the treatment of these which will be under the difec. ton of some reputable physician and supplied with trained nurses, male and female. for the service.
 ..An appropriation of $1, 900 has be- made by the United tSates government 10 be apportioned on a pro rata basis to the states for this work. Alabama's share of this amount is something like F, 900.
 s.It Is contemplated that the state Will contribute other funds for this work. 1T i clinic Is established in every county m Inc state, great progress can be made m [ ] very short while toward riddine the country of the baleful conseauenccs or I theso diseases, and the state board ear neStly b.ss the cooperation of the gem Dral nubl!c in it's efforts to serve the peo blA. S. W. WEIGH.
 "State Health officer"
 
 pr. Phillips Coming
 Montgomery. August a.-(speciaL)-Foi InA purpose of going over work of the ne1ss