Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1919-12-11
Protecting the Public Health
in Michigan

Protecting the Public Health
In Michigan
Printed from TRUTH TELLER"
= Battle Creek, Michigan, November 10,
1919.
"An unexpected and startling feat
nre of the program at this session
was the appearance of Mrs. Elizabeth
b. Citizens of Alma, Michigan, with
a narration of the health board white
slavery which has been instituted as
the result of the passage of a law
last winter in her State appropriate
ing 100000 to make survey and TO
hight venereal disease. ****
"The present writer will further
state that Mrs. Citizens had been for
some weeks devoting a large part of
her time to get the facts and secure
legal aid. She has taken down in
shorthand and Transcribed the testi-
mony in six cases and has heard the
testimony in many others, has col
lected funds to prosecute the guilty
officials, traced out clues and looked
after a multitude Of details. Those
who know, as we do at headquarters,
that the same sort of health board
villiany is going on in the name Of
the law, know this is burning ques-
ton and that what is being done at
Alma, Michigan, is of intense inter
est to every citizen in the land. Be-
side the revolving atrocities now be-
ing perpetrated wholesale as public
health measures, even the tortures of
the past in the name of religion
seem insignificant. ****
THE little city of Alma, Michigan,
has less than 1900 population, ac-
sording TO Golfers latest atlas of the
world. Yet over one hundred young
girls of that community have in the
past few months been railroaded to
detention home" as venereal cases
or suspects. Some of these were not
more than fourteen or fifteen years
of age. Some of them were not only
innocent of any disease, but thorough
Iy good girls, their only fault power
ty and defenselessness. At this
"home" land may we be forgiven for
applying this sacred name to health
board hell-holeD these girls were
confined, the vicious with the good,
for months in some cases, were all
made to work hard at mental toll,
were fed upon poor food, and so kept
that they all became frightfully
lousy, at the same time being given
no facilities for getting rid of the
vermin. Worst of all were the medi-
cal examinations and treatment to
which they were subjected. Sexual
examination and treatment at the
hands of three men, of nature that
sent girls out of the treatment room
bitterly weeping at the gross indig-
mites to which they had to submit,
followed by the ribald laughter of
the doctors, was a part of it. So
oppressed by the horror of il were
some of the girls that suicide was
attempted and in one instance a tor
mented girl died Of the poison she
swallowed in the hope Of escape.
This imperfectly and briefly tells
nurse" in the employ of the health
the story of this detention place. To
those who understand the injury to
health of the medical treatment adj
ministered, there is not single re-
deeming feature in the whole affair
1.-THE method employed to get hold
of the girls was as follows: A
nurse" in the employ Of the health
board would go to the home of girl,
walk boldly in without the formality
of knocking at the door, and demand
that the girl accompany her to the
city health Office. If she or her
mother objected she was told that
if she refused sign with large
letters would be placed in the wind
low, with the words. "Venereal Dis
ease Exists in this House." and those
who daily went forth TO work would
be detained with the rest of the
family until the health board de-
mands were complied with. The girl
was also told unless she went peace
ably, the chief Of police would be
called and he would forcibly take her
to the health office Rarely did these
threats fail of their object. Poor
girls, or girls without one or both
parents, were usually selected.
what could they do? What would
nine of every ten women do in such
circumstances
"And once a girl was i'm the tolls
of these medical degenerates, where
was her reputation? A stigma was
placed on her never TO be entirely re-
moved. Those who came back to
Alma from the place of detention
continued to be bounded by the Great
ure called nurse" she insisted on
administering treatment to them and
never allowed it TO be forgotten or
unknown that they had been i'm
prisoned and delinquent.
AT the close of Mrs. Citizens re-
cital, Col. Sol. l. Long arose and ad-
dressing her, said. Madam, you have