Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1943-07-02

the publication of statistics purportng to show how much
prevalent syphilis is among Negroes than whites can
have real scientific social purpose Syphilis is devas
tatng disease with which al and kinds of men are
afflicted 1t is widespread and has been found every
level Of society. The deadly Sprochaeta of syphilis has
bored its way into the brains Of statesmen and kings and
polluted the buest blood Of The astocacy of Europe and
America. 1t claims its victims on Park Avenue well as
Lenox in the legislative halls well the dance halls of
the jitterbugs.
The division of the people Of America into black and
white in the presentation Of the statistics of disease and
crime is relic of the slave regime and is another mani
fesaton Of the experimentation motive which dominates
the thinking of Americans those the higher intel
ectua levels Such division is purely artificial and is not
demanded by the crtera Of science The scientific meth
cd if honestly pursued would make the comparison not
only the basis of but nationality social and
mic status and perhaps religion Are the Irish more
susceptible to syphilis than the Italians? Is the Jew more
receptive to the sprochaea than the Gentle? Do the we'll
born escape often than the poor? Statistics Of disease
often misleading Their publication should be direct
ed to social good 1t to be noted with regret that
widespread publicity is only given to findings of crime and
disease which damn the Negro
Familiarity with Of the statistical methods of
called scientists in the government and outside make
skeptca not only of the method of arriving at these find
ngs to the rate of syphilis between coored and white
but of the findings themselves. However if they
absolutely true real good of the racial emphasis
which apparent in the press release of the Unit
ed States Public Health Service On the other hand
defeat it's end 1t may give naive white folks
the idea that syphilis is primarily Negro disease and that
the sprochaeae respect the color line What tragedy it
would be if some fine young white man woman under
such misrepresentation should fall victim of ocomotor-
atixis or become lost in the fog of paresis
What are the facts Simply this - that thousands and
thousands of American and children, white and
black native and foreign born, Jew and Gentle are the
victims of terrible scourge. 1t cannot be cXthpated on
the basis Of color European white carried it
from the filthy brothes Of European cities to Africa and
defed the blood Of the Negro In fact the triumph of
European civilization has been in part the triumph of syphi
is 1t has traed conqueror and t1adesmen missionary
and priests around the world.
1t is the duty and obligation of the United States Pub
lie Health Service to devise and execute plans to improve
the health of the American people by reducing preventabe
disease and death This cannot be achieved by dubious pub
cy designed apparently to bolster the superiority complex
of those white Americans who must constantly have
thing to support their claims Syphilis is not only prevent
able but in its early stages durable And the method of de-
Tense against this invader which knows race color
creed cannot be predicted the and color of its
victims
The spirochaetae of syphilis don't give damn about
the color line.