Tombstone epitaph., 1920-09-19
PLEADS AGAINST IGNORANCE
 OF SEX DISEASES IN STATE
BY DR. Z. CAUSEY

Stdte or AflZond.
 Our ignorance ana fai.ure in nan!. ling the problem the ve2ereal diseases constitute the greates: crime Of Am erican civilization" This was the conclusion oi a prom!nen, med cal Of. ficer in charge Of the physical exam ination of drafted men. as they were admitted 10 one ot our great train ing camps. When we entered the war. the |. s. government profiting by it's experience when our troops were mobilized n;he Mexican tor- der in 1916. and by the terrible loss es sustained by the allied armies by ,he ravages oi this group of diseases, set about al once 10 devise means for the protection of our soldiers. Statistics tell us that venereal dis eases did more a demoralize and in- capacitate the allied armies on ce-. tain sections Of the front than did German shot and shell. How well our government succeeded in protect ing our soldiers from the Gemoraliz. ing e:efc;s Of pros .i,uticn and yehe. real diseases is shown ny the fact that five men entered ;he army e:- fected with a venereal disease one because after entering the army. thus demonstrating tha; yenereal diseases can be controlled ny he application 0! the practical measures employed by the government; during the wS and since The war. adopted ny the State Boards o.~liealih in almost ev- cry s;a;e .n the union. These mea. sures are medical. educational law en. forcement and recrea,ional submi; that if the above measures are relig.. ously applied by he practical me. thods that have been adop;ed. veae- real disease incidence can be very largely reduced within a comparative. ly short time. In ;his connection might state that he yenereal disease control program. as some preiudicea individuals would have you believe. was no, etoived ny impractical ideal. is;s. bu, ra;her hy men or unquesiioA, ed patriotism and ,-anseendent abil. ity as some sani;arians l. is bein. carried out today by some Of he ablest men and women ot the medi. cal profession ani by thousands O. laymen and women Of recognized ability and unquest.oned loyalty 10 the state and nation and who nave a profound in;eres, in the well being Of the presen; and the future genera. tions. Such men and women would be. the las; 10 subscribe 10 any plan or suggestion that would i1 he least interefere with ne confidential re!a. tionship that has so long existed b.. tween the physician and his patient O. ,ha; would limit ;he act!v:.le> oi any respective ,aN q ling citizen
 The primary purpose for the control Of venereal diseases is not he in.er ference with legitimate business O. wholesa,e recreation. but rather the protection Of he mothers. and he boys and girls Q: this age and ci he generation yei unborn
 Just why venereai diseases should be looked on as trivial matter, and the disseminators Of them should De permitted 10 spread their loa,hsome and deadly infections promiscuously among our boys and young men. and indirectly 10 our innocent daughters and their unborn babes without us raising our voices or our hands in protest can only be accounted for by our ignorance. Like Hosea of old, Se might acclaim: The people are Ge- stroyed by lack of knowledge
 This country is staggering under the economic annual burden of ap. proximately one-half billion dollars, as the fruits of this group of dis. eases. Dr. Howard Kelly, the omi- nent psychologist, tells us that eighty per cent Of his operations in private practice are directly tracable to venereal diseases. Rosenau ih his book on preventative medicine, quoting from the best authorities, es- inmates that there are 25O,0O deaths annually from venereal diseases as against ls0,0O0 from tuberculosis, that one-fifth of all the insane in our asylums are there today on accoun.