The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-30

washington, u. u, MARCH, 90
When a new chief of police was ap-
pointed recently in Washington the
announcement went forth that
gamblers, bookmakers, drug ped
dlers and other forms of under
world entertainers had better seek
fresh field for their games. Those
forms of vice which exist in every
city which has no strong civic con-
seriousness were running wide III
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 bureau
of the government stepped forward
with long list of places on which
evidence had been obtained Vice
was rampant on the very doorsteps
of the capitol building itself, the re-
port showed. A congressional in
vestigation is under way to verify
this report and find why this condi-
ton exists in definance of the law.
The quiet government bureau
which had collected these facts goes
by the name of the U. S. interde-
partmental 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 sur
geon generals of the army, navy
and public health service. The &C
tive head of the board is a woman.
DIR. Valeria H. Parker, who has had
very wide experience in social
work. Before accepting the posi-
ton as Uncle Sans watcher over
the young men in the nation S
armed forces, DR.. Parker was
chairman of the social hygiene com.
mittee of the National League or
Women Voters and member of the
section of delinquency of the Nation
al Conference of Social Work
The government war on vice is
organized through this bureau. The
board is definitely charged with the
duty of protecting the health of the
men in uniform while they are in
civilian communities. So well has
the work been done that in one year
it is estimated that over 81 900, 900
was saved the government. This
amount would have been spent in
the disqualification of infected men,
had not the number of infections
been greatly reduced. The cost OF
the work has been about $225 900.
1t is a paying proposition.
Science Supplants Sentimeutality.
The governments war on vice
represents new ard powerful
force at work throughout the ma
ton today. Science, substituted
for sentiment is giving the world
new sense of public safety.
The scientific side of reforms and
reformers is the view taken by the
interdepartmental social hygiene
board IntereS in the health of
the nation, the scientific side of
health and disease is being preached
at every opportunity through pub
lie health meetings in every state,
attended by medical men, public
health officers. and representative
of societies interested in the ques-
ton. The moral side of the ques-
ton is being left to the churches,
as falling properly within their
province.
The medical approach to the sub
ject by the hygiene board is short
and 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 a proven record and is an
excellent example of the cheaper to
prevent than cure policy of modern
practice"
Just how heavy the vice toll be-
comes was gathered from the rec
ords of the public health service
which is working at the problem as
it affects civilians while the social
hygiene board handles the military
end of the matter. Physicians of
the service estimate that about
/ SOC, 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 generation virulent bacil-
lus so insidious in its effect that few
children live under the handicap,
and those who do are sickly and
weak From the national stand
point there is the danger of losing
effective citizens
Vice Cost is Big.
The social hygiene board places
the cash cost of this social folly
among the soldiers in the army dur
ing the war period at $4,000. 900. In
1919, the cost in the army was
placed at SIS 100000. The cost was
cut in 1920 to about s5,500,O00. 1t
is about one-third less. this last
year, due to the more effective pre-
ventive work, previously mentioned.