Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-04-01

W appointed recently in Washing
ton the announcement went forth that
gamblers, bookmakers, drug peddlers and
other forms of underworld entertainers had
better seek fresh field for their games.
Those forms of vice which exist in every city
which has no strong civic consciousness were
running wide in Washington. They were
run very quietly, but the door was always
open.
With the announcement that the new chief
of police would start determined effort to
clean up the Capital City, a little known bu-
reau Of the government stepped forward
with long list of places which evidence
had been obtained. Vice was rampant on
the very doorsteps of the capitol building
itself. the report showed. A congressional
investigation is under way to verify this re-
port and find why this condition exists in
defiance of the law.
The quiet government bureau, which had
collected these facts goes by the name Of
the u. S. Interdepartmental Social Hygiene
board. The 'Interdepartmental'' comes from
the fact that the secretaries of war, the
navy and the treasury are on the board as
are the surgeon generals of the army, navy
and public health service. The active head
of the board is a woman, DR.. Valeria H. Par
ker, who has had very wide experience in
social work. Before accepting the position
as Uncle Sans watcher over the young men
in the nations armed forces, DR.. Parker
was chairman of the Social Hygiene COM
Voters, and member of the section of de-
linquency OF the national conference o. So
cial work.
The government war on vice is organized
through this bureau. The board is def
nitely charged with the duty of protecting
the health of the men in uniform, while they
are in civilian communities. So we'll has
the work been done that in oSe year it is es-
timated that over 100000 was saved the
government. This amount would have been
spent in the disqualification Of infected men,
had not the number of infections been great
ly reduced. The cost of the work has been
about 1926, 900. 1t is a paying proposition
Science SuppIants Sentimentality
The governments war on vice represents
a new and powerful force at work through
out the nation today. Science substituted
for sentiment is giving the world new sense
of public safety.
The scientific side of reforms and reform
ers is the view taken by the Interdepart-
mental Social Hygiene board. Interested in
the health of the nation, the scientific side
of health and disease is being preached at
every opportunity through public health
meetings in every state, attended by medi-
cal men, public health officers, and repre-
sentatiyes OF societies interested in the ques-
ton. The moral side of the question is be-
ing left to the churches, as falling properly
within their province.
The medical approach to the subject by
the hygiene DOdrQ is snort ana direct
Science has proved that no way has been
found to make vice safe. Therefore the only
safe thing to do is to attack vice. This
plan has proven record and it is an excel
lent example of the cheaper to prevent than
to cure policy of modern medical practice"
Just how heavy the vice toll becomes was
gathered from the records of the Public
Health service, which is working at the
problem as it affects civilians while the So
cial hygiene board handles the military end
Of the matter. Physicians of the service es-
innate that about 1, 500, 900 cases of diseases
due solely to bad social conditions. occur
each year.
From the medical standpoint this means
great danger Of passing on to the next gen.
GRAFTON virulent bacillus so insidious in it's
effect that few children live under the han
dicap and those who do are sickly and weak
From the national standpoint there is the
danger Of losing effective citizens.
The social hygiene board places the cash
cost Of this social folly merely among the
soldiers in the army during the war period
at S72,000,000. In 1919, the cost in the
army was placed at $15,000,000 The cost
was cut in 1920 to about s5,500,000. 1t is
about one-third less, this last year, due to
the more effective preventive work, pre-
viously mentioned.
In civilian circles medical records are
harder to obtain. The accurate type of rec
ord kept by the army and navy is not avail
able for civilian affairs But the draft rec
ords show that in civilian life, at least $541-