Woman, William J. Robinson [classic literature books txt] 📗

Former Ban on Discussion of Venereal Disease and Its Evil Results—Present Reprehensible Exaggerations of Extent of Venereal Disease—Erroneous and Ridiculous Statements of "Reformers"—Senseless Fear of Marriage in Girls Due to Lurid Exaggerations—Study by Woman Psychologist Reveals Harmful Results of Exaggerated Statements—Truth in Regard to Percentage of Men Afflicted with Venereal Disease.

Former Silence. Only a very few years ago respectable women, by which I mean all women outside of the women called "fallen," did not know of the existence of venereal disease. It was considered a prohibited, disgraceful subject, not to be mentioned or even hinted at in conversation, in books or magazines, in lectures, or on the stage. When I say that they did not know of the existence of such a thing as venereal disease, that the very words gonorrhea and syphilis were unknown to them, I use these expressions not as figures of speech, but in their literal meaning. All avenues of acquiring such knowledge being closed to them—lay people don't usually now and they surely didn't then purchase and read strictly medical works—where could they obtain the information? The result was that when a woman was so unfortunate as to contract a venereal disease from her husband, she did not understand its character and did not suspect its source. Which was a rather good thing—for the husband. Family peace was more secure.

Present Exaggerations. Now a change has taken place in this respect, and, as is often the case with recent changes, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme. The silence of former days has given place to shouting from the housetops. The last phrase is also used almost in its literal sense. Many men and women, deeply stirred by the venereal peril, and sincerely anxious to guard boys and girls from venereal infection, have been indulging in very reprehensible exaggerations. Particularly lurid have been the exaggerations as to the prevalence of the disease in the male sex, with its consequent disastrous effects on married women. A statement made by a Dr. Noeggerath (a German physician who practiced at the time in New York), nearly half a century ago, to the effect that 80 per cent, of all men have gonorrhea and that 90 per cent. of these remain uncured and infect or are apt to infect their wives, has been shown to be a ridiculously absurd exaggeration. If it had been true, the race would now be at the point of dying out. Nevertheless, this statement is copied from book to book, as if it were gospel truth, as if it were a scientifically and statistically established fact instead of a wild, sensational guess. An esteemed New York physician, Dr. Prince A. Morrow, did excellent pioneer work in calling attention to the dangers of venereal disease. But, as is the case with so many "reformers," he permitted his zeal to run away with him occasionally, and he made statements which caused and are still causing the judicious to grieve. The statement, for instance, that there is more venereal disease among innocent, virtuous wives than among prostitutes is one to cause the real honest investigator to weep (over the human tendency to exaggeration), or to burst out in uproarious laughter. The ridiculousness of this statement becomes especially evident when we recollect that the same gentleman made the statement that every prostitute, without exception, was diseased at one time or another. If venereal disease exists among prostitutes to the extent of 100 per cent., then how can it exist to a greater extent among innocent, virtuous wives? And to still further emphasize the absurdity of the above statement, I will tell you that the extent of venereal disease among married women is believed by careful non-sensational venereologists not to exceed five per cent.!

Yes, the silence of former years has given place to the lurid exaggeration of the present day. While on the whole the former was worse than the latter, the latter is bad enough, because it makes many girls unhappy, sowing in them the seeds of suspicion and cynicism, tends to make them antagonistic to the entire male sex, and inoculates them with a senseless fear of marriage. A study made by Miriam C. Gould, of the department of psychology and philosophy in the University of Pittsburg (Social Hygiene, April, 1916), corroborates our remarks in a striking manner.

She has had confidential chats with 50 young girls, with whom she has had some acquaintance; of these 50, 25 were college students and 25 were not. She asked them a number of questions, the purpose of which was to find out what psychologic effect, if any, their knowledge of prostitution and of venereal disease has had on them. She states in her conclusions that "the histories reveal a large percentage of harmful results, such as conditions bordering upon neurasthenia, melancholia, pessimism and sex antagonism (italics mine), directly traceable to this knowledge. Eleven of the girls interviewed developed a pronounced repulsion for men, although prior to their 'knowledge' they had enjoyed men's company. They now avoid association with them, and six have declared that they have totally lost faith in the moral cleanness of men. Eight have already refused to marry, or intend to do so, because of their belief that the risk of infection was too great. If it were not for the existence of these diseases, they say they would be glad to marry. All of these say their decision has rendered them more or less unhappy."

In the laudable desire to keep our young women pure and to protect them from infection, in the endeavor to make them demand one moral standard for both sexes, our exaggerating reformers are condemning them to lifelong celibacy, which in the case of women often means lifelong neurasthenia and hypochondria.

The Truth of the Matter. Here is the Truth about venereal disease—the truth as I know it, without concealment on the one hand and without exaggeration on the other. Exact figures are, of course, unobtainable anywhere; but results obtained from unbiased investigations of different classes of society, from hospital reports, from questionnaires among students, etc., tell us that probably about twenty per cent. of the adult male population are the victims of gonorrhea at one time or another; that probably eight or ten per cent. are not entirely cured when they enter matrimony; and four or five per cent. (some would say two per cent.) of wives become infected with gonorrhea. This, I say, is terrible enough, and makes the greatest care and caution imperative; for, if you should be one of the victims of the two or five per cent., it would be little consolation to you that the other ninety-eight or ninety-five per cent. of wives have escaped.

Of course the percentage of venereal disease among young men, and afterwards among their wives, will vary greatly with the stratum of society. Among the "lower" strata you may find fifty per cent. of infection, with a very large percentage of those uncured. Not because they are of a lower morality than the higher classes, but because the cheap class of prostitutes that they are obliged to patronize are frequently diseased and because they cannot afford expert treatment, or any treatment at all. Among these classes you will naturally find a much larger percentage of diseased wives. But then to counteract this we must bear in mind that there are large classes of men in whom gonorrhea exists only to the extent of five or ten