Syphilis and AIDS in Belle Glade, Florida, 1942 and 1992
Authors: Michael R. Grey
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1992)

History of Medicine15 February 1992Syphilis and AIDS in Belle Glade, Florida, 1942 and 1992Michael R. Grey, MD, MPHMichael R. Grey, MD, MPHSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-116-4-329 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptGeorge Santayana warned, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (1). The venereal disease experience in Belle Glade, Florida, during the past 50 years is a striking case in point. In the 1940s, Belle Glade became the focus of intense scientific interest when an epidemic of syphilis occurred among the poor, predominantly non-white migrant farm-worker population living there. Fifty years later, Belle Glade again made headlines when it was found that this small agricultural community in the heart of the Florida Everglades had one of the highest incidences of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the...References1. Santayana G. The Life of Reason. New York: Charles Scribners Sons; 1905. Google Scholar2. LiebCastroCalisherWithumBuffSchable SKCDEC. Human immunodeficiency virus infection in a rural community. J Fla Med Assoc. 1988;75:301-4. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. CastroLiebJaffeNarkunasCalisherBush KSHJCT. Transmission of HIV in Belle Glade, Florida: Lessons for other communities in the United States. Science. 1988;239:193-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Rimer S. Spotlight fades on AIDS in town, but the disease and stigma remain. New York Times. 14 Nov 1990: 1990:A10. Google Scholar5. Grey M. Poverty, politics, and health: the Farm Security Administration Medical Care Program, 1935-1945. J Hist Med Allied Sci. 1989;44:320-50. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Webb J. The Migratory Casual Worker. Works Progress Administration Division of Social Research, Research Monograph No. VII. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office; 1937:2. Google Scholar7. Faverman A. Report of the Migratory Demonstration, July 1936-June 1937: A Study of the Health of 1000 Children of Migratory Agricultural Laborers in California. San Francisco: California State Department of Public Health; 1937. Google Scholar8. McWilliams C. Ill fares the land. Boston: Little, Brown and Company; 1942:243-86. Google Scholar9. MottRoemer FM. Rural Health and Medical Care. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1948. Google Scholar10. Testimony of John Beecher. Subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. Senate, 76th Congress, 3rd Session, pursuant to S. Res. 266 (74th Congress), Part 2, Supplementary Hearings, National Farm Labor Problem, Washington, DC, May 15-22, 1940:348. Google Scholar11. Etheridge E. The Butterfly Caste: A Social History of Pellagra in the South. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Company; 1972:204-5. Google Scholar12. Letter from Mott F to Parran T [2 February 1944]. In: Record group 224, file 140, Office of Labor, War Food Administration, Region I. Federal Records Center, National Archives, Waltham, Massachusetts. Google Scholar13. Osler W. The campaign against syphilis. Lancet. 1917;26 May:787. Google Scholar14. Vonderlehr R. Relationship of venereal disease control work of US Public Health Service to physicians in private practice. American Journal of Syphilis and Venereal Disease. 1937;21:32-44. Google Scholar15. Anderson O. The control of venereal disease among industrial workers. American Journal of Syphilis and Venereal Disease. 1943;27:432. Google Scholar16. Parran T. Shadow on the land: syphilis. New York: Reynal and Hitchcock; 1937. Google Scholar17. Hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. Senate, 77th Congress. Pursuant to S. Res. 291. Investigation of Manpower Resources. Part 2: 592. Google Scholar18. Brandt A. No Magic Bullet: A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States since 1880 Second edition. New York: Oxford University Press; 1987. Google Scholar19. Letter from Miner CE to Newdorp J [8 March 1944]. In: Record group 224, file 140, Office of Labor, War Food Administration, Region I. Federal Records Center, National Archives, Waltham, Massachusetts. Google Scholar20. Letter from Newdorp J to Miner CE [nd]. In: Record group 224, file 140, Office of Labor, War Food Administration, Region I. Federal Records Center, National Archives, Waltham, Massachusetts. Google Scholar21. Letter from Mott F to Wren H, [5 April 1944]. In: Record group 224, file 140, Office of Labor, War Food Administration, Region I. Federal Records Center, National Archives, Waltham, Massachusetts. Google Scholar22. Letter from Newdorp J to Bruton PG, [15 March 1944]. In: Record group 224, file 140, Office of Labor, War Food Administration, Region I. Federal Records Center, National Archives, Waltham, Massachusetts. Google Scholar23. Letter from Newdorp J to Wren H. [29 January 1944]. In: Record group 224, file 140, Office of Labor, War Food Administration, Region I. Federal Records Center, National Archives, Waltham, Massachusetts. Google Scholar24. BishopWilber CG, eds. Rural Poverty in the United States: A Report by the President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty. Washington: Government Printing Office; 1968:322-23. Google Scholar25. Harvest of shame [videorecording]. Murrow ER [CBS News]. New York: CRM/McGraw Hill Films; 1961. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByThis Place Is Killing Me: A Comparison of Counties Where the Incidence Rates of AIDS Increased the Most and the LeastIntegration of a participatory research strategy into a rural health surveyCrack Cocaine Use in Rural Migrant Populations: Living Arrangements and Social SupportBook reviewImmigration and HIV among Migrant Workers in Rural Southern FloridaThe medical care programs of the Farm Security Administration, 1932 through 1947: a rehearsal for national health insurance?Infectious diseases.AIDS in Belle GladeH. J. Roberts, MDThe Lessons of Belle GladeRobert M. Swenson, MD 15 February 1992Volume 116, Issue 4Page: 329-334KeywordsAIDSComputed axial tomographyHeartSexually transmitted diseasesSyphilis Issue Published: 15 February 1992 Copyright©1992 American College of PhysiciansPDF DownloadLoading ...