East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-05-09
SOCIAL DISEASE is
ARMY'S WORST FOE
ARMY MEDICAL MEN
POINT OUT DANGER
Isolation and Quarantine is
Course Ahead for
Prostitutes.

THE prostitute is a more effective
lally of the kaiser than the German
spy and the social diseases constitute
the greatest menace in this country to
our army
These significant statements were
made yesterday by members of the
government medical party here yes
terday to confer with city officials on
the necessity of enforcing the recently
adopted ordinance providing for the
treatment and isolation of certain dis
ease. In the party were Col. g. M. Nc
lGruderf whom the surgeon general has
placed in charge of the health and
sanitation work of the territory tribu-
tary to Camp Lewis, DIR. r. e. L. Holt
state health officer, and David Robin
son. Portland attorney.
The ordinance passed by the local
council several weeks ago is uniform
one which the government is having
adopted all over the United States. 1t
aims to secure proper treatment of
all social diseases and provides for
isolation and quarantine of infected
prostitutes. The state has provided
funds for the quarantine of such
cases over the state, outside of Multi
nomah county.
For Efficiency.
The government is dealing with this
matter at this time not SO much from
a moral standpoint as from an effici-
ency standpoint, Col. McGruder point-
ed out. II no attempts were made to
safeguard the boys in the service from
social disease, a big part of the army
would be rendered physically unfit
for service, he said
The danger is not so much to the
boys already in the service, he said,
and the army authorities have control
of the situation there and statistics
show that the percentage of cases con-
tracted in the service is comparatively
small. 1t is the boys just leaving for
the camps who are most endangered,
he said, and, recongnibing this, the
government is carrying on it's fight in
every town in the nation. IF the pro.
portion of diseased men entering the
army was the same all over the nation
as at Camp Lewis last fall, the govern
ment would have two and a half di-
visions of troops disabled from this
cause alone he said. at costs the
government $4,000 to equip. train and
transport each soldier and it is a
mighty expensive proposition to have
this soldier rendered physically unfit
from preventable diseases"
Towns Are Warned.
A warning to country towns and
cities was sounded by the men here.
They declared that Portland. Seattle,
Tacoma and San Francisco are carry
ing on an active campaign gainst the
prostitute with the result that many
of them are carrying their dangerous
activities into smaller places. Unless
the smaller places are equally alert,
they will become a hotbed for disease. /
Col. McGruder not only is carrying
on a fight to safeguard the soldiers of
Camp Lewis from the social disease
but from all preventable diseases. The
COWS that furnish the milk for the
camp and the men who milk them are
examined and the water supply is
protected. But the danger
from tuberculosis is much more re- /
mote than danger from the social dis
ease. he said.
The city council last evening in |
structed the city attorney to have the
ordinance printed in pamphlet form /
for distribution over the city and the |
visiting party was promised that the |
law here would be enforced.