Great Pox (Cont'd)

Last week a tidal wave of propaganda against venereal disease, having gathered force for 13 months, flooded the entire nation. In San Francisco and Manhattan, in New Orleans and Duluth, and in 200 communities lying between, groups of earnest men and women who support the American Social Hygiene Association listened to facts and exhortations. From the President of the U. S. and his wife down to the most blushing volunteer social worker, there was evidenced a determination to make venereal diseases, especially syphilis, as rare as typhoid fever. Repeatedly quoted.was President Roosevelt's recent dictum, first of its kind uttered by a man in his office: "Attainment of your objectives would do much to conserve our human resources and would reduce considerably the present large costs for the community care of the disastrous results of the venereal diseases."

At last week's many meetings, women were as voluble as men. To them Mrs. Roosevelt sent a message as unique as the President's: "I am very glad to know that women are taking part in the conference on social hygiene."

Governor Herbert Lehman of New York was the first top-rank executive of the nation to call a venereal disease by its name. Said he: "Once the facts become generally known, the humanitarian appeal of syphilis will be fully as great, or even greater than that presented by any communicable disease."

That is precisely the goal of the health officers of the nation led by Dr. Thomas Parran Jr., Surgeon General of the U. S. Public Health Service, and prodded by Dr. William Freeman Snow, general director of the American Social Hygiene Association. They want victims of syphilis (especially) and gonorrhea to cease being furtive about their afflictions and to get treatment. In line with that program every case of those diseases must be registered precisely as though it were a case of typhoid fever. And, as with typhoid fever, health officers must track down the men & women disseminating gonorrhea and syphilis through a community, to see that those original sources of infection get cured. That procedure requires public laboratories where blood tests can be made and pus smears examined. Because great numbers of infected individuals lack enough intelligence or money to get examined, and then treated, health officers wish to make laboratory examinations and treatment free to all.

Last week Iowa began to provide free laboratory service to physicians," leaving only Kentucky, Nevada, Texas and Wyoming on the "black list."

Iowa last week also began to follow up delinquents. Only five other States do that.

The California Legislature last week considered the creation of a new State officer whose principal duty would be to try to eradicate venereal disease. Only 16 other States have such full-time administrators. The Legislatures of New York and New Jersey last week entertained resolutions to require medical certificates from bride & groom before permitting marriage. Connecticut put such a law in force a year ago.

History of Propaganda. The tidal wave of propaganda against venereal diseases began on the Atlantic Coast, in the offices of Surgeon General Parran in Washington and Social Hygienist Snow in Manhattan. But in a sense the wave may be considered a tremendous backwash from California. At Palo Alto and San Francisco in the late 1890s, stubby little William Freeman Snow and tall, lanky Ray Lyman Wilbur were undergraduates (with Herbert Hoover), medical students, later professors together. Dr. Wilbur became (1911) Dean of Stanford University's medical school. Dr. Snow went East, organized and became (1914) general director of the American Social Hygiene Association, a consolidation of well-meaning organizations which then primarily wanted to eradicate prostitution. Soon practically all U. S. municipalities abolished their "red light" districts to which houses of prostitution, advertised by red lanterns, had been restricted. Then the War developed. Dr. Snow joined the Army, kept wenches away from cantonments, prophylaxis stations with every regiment, and antivenereal news in all the newspapers of the land. Active public interest in venereal disease lasted until about 1920, after which propagandists could get practically nothing into print, and not a hint over the radio.

The whole movement resurged in 1934 when Dr. Parran, as New York State Commissioner of Health, and Dr. John Levi Rice, as New York City Commissioner of Health, were forbidden by radio executives to mention syphilis in air talks. They lost their tempers, started a moral storm. The groundswell first surged effectively 13 months ago, when 2,500 women and men attended a meeting of the American Social Hygiene Association in Manhattan (TIME, Jan. 20. 1936). It frothed in July when Dr. Parran published an article on syphilis in Reader's Digest and Survey Graphic. Almost 2,000,000 reprints have been sold.

Dr. Parran used his installation as president of the American Public Health Association in New Orleans to blow the storm higher (TIME, Oct. 26). Between Christmas and New Year's he called some 600 public health officers and social hygienists, including Dr. Snow, to Washington, let them know that he had $10,000,000 to help them beat the venereal problem, let them urge him to ask Congress for $15,000,000 more.

Dr. Snow caused last week to be designated a National Social Hygiene fete, got scores of meetings organized, got his old friend Dr. Wilbur (now president of the American Social Hygiene Association), and his newer friend Dr. Parran to make speeches for electrical transmission by dozens of radio stations which at last permitted discussion of the subject.

Said Dr. Wilbur: "When every American family sees that the children in each generation are taught the truth about syphilis and gonorrhea, how to avoid them and what to do if infected, we shall no longer see our young manhood and womanhood their chief victims.'' Said Dr. Parran: "There must be secured through the medical and other professional groups additional experienced personnel to provide for the necessary diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of all infected persons."

Doctors. The great worry of the U. S. P. H. S. and the A. S. H. A. is that the U. S. lacks doctors who know a case of syphilis or gonorrhea when they see it, fewer who want to deal with those diseases, fewer who know how to deal with them. The American Dermatological Association (which includes specialists in syphilis) and the American Urological Association (which includes specialists in gonorrhea) together have scarcely 1,500 members.

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