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The world's first public hospital solely for intensive treatment of social diseases was dedicated in Chicago's rain and cold last week by Vice President Henry Agard Wallace. The new Chicago Venereal Disease Hospital is the old, reconditioned Wesley Memorial Hospital on South Dearborn Street. Those who wondered how such an institution could get a clientele were told that most of the patients will be prostitutes (who may come voluntarily or by commitment by the Women's Court). But the hospital's services (specialty: quick treatment for early syphilis and gonorrhea) will be free to all, with a full capacity of 2,500 patients a year. Support for the first year is a Federal Works Agency grant of $425,000.

Among the speakers at the dedication were U.S. Surgeon General Thomas Parran, venereal disease enemy No. 1, and Chicago's Health Commissioner Herman N. Bundesen, who will head the hospital until a permanent director is chosen. Rear Admiral John Downes, commandant of the Ninth Naval District and Major General Henry S. Aurand, commanding officer of the Sixth Service Command, were on hand to congratulate the city on its "positive stand" on venereal disease--the center is expected to reduce the dangers of infection among service men in the Chicago district.*

In the audience were Dr. Herbert Worley Kendall of the Kettering Institute for Medical Research, and his boss, General Motors Research Director Charles Kettering, who collaborated in developing the fever cabinet used in the so-called "one-day cure" for early syphilis. Dr. Kendall is in charge of fever therapy at the hospital. Also present was Author Paul de Kruif, who presented the cure in the Reader's Digest (TIME, Sept. 14) and helped the new hospital get its funds.

* In an article on The Wartime Control of Venereal Disease in the A.M. A. Journal last week, Dr. John H. Stokes of Philadelphia, 'dean of U.S. venereal disease experts, began: "The venereal disease control field is a perpetual Christmas pudding and full of surprises. As Little Jack Horner (whom I may be supposed to impersonate for this occasion) puts in this thumb and pulls out a plum, with his well-known expression of egotistic self-satisfaction, little does he realize that his find will presently be shown to be a raisin or even a California prune. . . ."

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