The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-08


When Columbus returned from his
was found that many of his sailors
were suffering from a new and strange
disease, the result of a too intimate
relation with the native women of
those faraway islands OF the new
world.
Columbus noted thot some Of the
Indians were suffering from some
form of loathsome disease hitherto I'M
known, and with the lapse of time
many OF his sailors developed the
same diseased conditions. Slowly the
disease spread thru southern Italy I'M
til Charles of France came down with
an army of invasion; upon the return
of his victorious troops to France, it
was soon discovered that while they
been defeated in body and health, for
they had contracted and brought home
a viruIent form of social disease. which
we now know by the name of syphilis
The disease soon swept thru Europe.
almost with the force of an epidemic,
and gradually has established itself in
every country and cline. claiming its
victims by the tens of thousands an
nuaIIy.
The spread Of the social or so-caIIed
venereaI disease, unlike any other
communicable disease, is so interwov-
complex conditions as to make it at
once the most difficult problem with
which society and government have
to deal: indeed. all efforts hitherto
made for the control of commercial
lied vice, or so-called prostitution,
which is the chief method of spreading
the venereal diseases. have until re-
Gently failed utterly. So universally
had failure resulted from every form
of attempted control. that most peo-
pie had come to the conclusion It
could not be done and openly gave up
in despair.
Then the world war put a new en-
phasis on the value OF manpower. for
| the gigantic struggle for world
dominion soon developed the fact that
the side with the greatest and strong
est Tnaupower would win The neces-
sites of war know no social or moral
barriers. and SO the word was given
out that vice and booze should be
taboo and that all social diseases
should be dealt with on the same basis
as any other catching disease, and
behold. the miracle has happened-a
real and more or less successful effort
! is being put forth all over the land to
suppress comnerciaIiZed vice. and the
! person Who is engaged in the unlawful
l and unholy traffic and is found to be
| infected. and is thereby spreading
( disease. is put in quarantine. the same
| as case of smallpox OF leprosy. There
I is now reason for the hope that since
/ the solution of the problem concerns
| itself chiefly with public health. using
I all the police powers with which
/ health offic6 IS are clothed in the sun
! preston of communica able diseases
and with an aroused public conscience
I to sustain the health authorities. a
/ real start has been made which augurs
( well for the future. At all events
4 there will be no turning back to the
! pre-war conditions so far as this age
! old problem is concerned Prostitu-
/ ton must go. and with it the CHIEF
I source of the spread of venereal
| disease.
I Early in 1917 Kansas organized her
I forces for the combat of venereal dis
/ eases by creating extra cantonment
: zones around Fort Riley and Fort
/ Leavenworth, in which was estab
I lfshed. with the assistance of~the fed.
| era1 government and the American
/ Red Cross. q full-time health organf-
/ zaticn, splendidly equipped with labo-
ratorieS, public health nurses. uledica
| and sanitary inspection, etc. The
| state board of health promulgated
regulations for the examination of al
/ persons founder suspected to be en-
/ gagged in immoral relations. and i
found infected with venereaI disease
1 to place such persons in quarantine
Later these rules were extended Il
cover the entire state. with the result
that more than 500 women have beer
! ouarantined at the State Iadustria
Farm for Women at Lansing. ant