Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1919-12-18
4 DECLARATION" OF
FACTS vs.. FICTION


After collecting together the facts
in a year of intensive military ac-
tivity the government officjsls found
that an enormous loss of man power
to say nothing Of army morale, was
the direct result of horrifying con-
dition that has in social discussions
been designated The Venereal Disease
Problem. To obviate this man-power
drain, wrought by venereal disease
in the army, the war department set
up curriculum 10 be operated by
the state health department which,
through it's various operating units,
was TO strike at the root Of the
spread of venereal disease.
Large numbers of government
trucks were assembled in Alma and
conveyed by soldiers to points of dis
tribution. These convoy-units while in
Alma were exposed to such sources
of venereal disease as were harbored
here.
Therefore through the war depart
ment the public health representative
in Alma was instructed to cooperate
with the government by following a
clearly defined course mapped out by
the war department.
The early cases apprehended in our
community were those known to the
police to be suspicious characters
and were through the police desig-
mated for examination. These women
were almost invariably found to be
cnraoIarc of ,anaraaI j;saaSa Cavacal
of them were found infected with the
organisms of both syphilis and gon-
orrhoea.
The woman through whom the law
suit, now pending, was brought
against the government representa-
tive and two others was one Of the
early cases whose conduct excited the
attention of the police in both Alma
and st. Louis and eventually resulted
in the person in question receiving
government treatment for better than
two months.
AS prescribed by the wax depart
ment, persons, male or female. sus-
pected Of being venereal disease
carriers were advised to present
themselves at the Office Of the desig-
mated medical examiner whose duty
it was to offer the suspect the alter
native of being examined or, if re-
fusing to be examined, being consid-
cred a venereal disease carrier. The
female cases electing examination
were turned over to a graduate nurse
for preparation and every delicate
consideration usual in the practice of
diseases of women in the examining
room was shown these girls. In the
course of these examinations as we'll
as before and after, the examining
physician was never alone with any
of these suspects.
as well as from the article reprinted
FROM Truth Teller" and published in
last weeks Alma Record, that GER
tain sect is responsible for the mis-
representation of facts, that is a part
of the propaganda directed at this
important uplift work.
The slanderous statements, prob
ably purposely intended as such, en-
bodied in the Declaration" so UNI
officially, from the viewpoint of the
legal profession, published in the
Alma Journal two weeks ago. is an
illustration of the methods used to
pollute public opinion.
The government representative
invites the fullest investigation of all
his acts while engaged as examining
and committing officer in Uncle
Sans service, which service was rem
dered for the good of the American
government. and without compensa-
ton.
1t would be imprudent at this time
and under the circumstances to say
more.
In due time the whole matter will
be cleared up to the entire satisfac-
tion of all friends Of justice and en-
emies of Bolshevism.
Thomas j. Carney, NJ. ID.
Examining Physician for u. s. Govt.