VENEREAL DISEASES.Syphilis, gonorrhoea and a host of diseases which follow in their train, come within the scope of Preventive Medicine. They are not spread by water, air, food, or insects as are so many diseases, but develop only from contact with a sufferer (usually by co-habitation, but possible by non-sexual contact), or by the germs from a sufferer being imparted to another by towels, clothing or other articles. They may be communicated to an innocent wife by a diseased husband and vice versa, and many serious diseases and infirmities depending on these diseases may be trans­mitted to the children of the diseased, as instance the disease of Opthal-mia or Blindness in Children, which occurs at or shortly following birth, and which is usually attributable to one or both of the parents suffering from gonorrhoea, although it may arise from other causes (see Index for article on Opthalmia, its cause, treatment and prevention). Syphilis and gonorrhcea are so largely dependent on immoral Inter‑course that their prevention is largely a matter of moral uplifting of the people. But, pending this morat uplifting, much is possible by the State and municipal governments placing these diseases on the list of contagious diseases which must be reported to the authorities, as is now required in respect of small-pox, scarlet fever and other diseases which are neither so loathsome nor have such far-reaching results for ill to mankind. All parents should carefully read the articles on Syphilis, Gonorrhoea and Opthalmia, to be found elsewhere in this work (see Index), and then they should carefully guard their children and at proper age thoroughly instruct them in the fearful ravages of venereal disease. There is too much false modesty in these matters on the part of parents. The general discussion. of sexual matters in novels, in sensational books on eugenics and in ordinary conversation is to be condemned, but it is the duty of every mother to her daughter and of every father to his son, to not only keep constant guard over them in these matters, but, at the beginning of puberty, to instil into their minds the real truths that they may become imbued with the horrors of venereal disease, yet realize the nobility of true sexual life. Professors and teachers in resident schools and colleges where youth is congregated should also have regard to this vital subject and take means to properly impart useful knowledge, and not only adopt every possible precaution to prevent students from meeting lewd persons, but by periodical medical examination discover if any venereal disease is existent, and if found in any individual then suspend such student until the disease be eradicated beyond the possibility of contagion. Syphilis is a more horrible disease than small-pox and may be easily communicated to the innocent by a common towel, by a brother kissing his sister or a son his mother, and in many other ways, and yet the syphilitically diseased may go where they please and little or no pre­cautions are taken as to the spreading of the disease. It is estimated that in New York City alone 250,000 people are suffering from this loath­some disease, either inherited or acquired, and when it is borne in mind that large numbers of these have innocently acquired it and are now in turn transmitting it to others, the enormity of the evil and the imperative need of preventive measures, will be realized.

Today, fighting venereal diseases begins with a much more solid foundation for education, but is solidly supported by a host of drugs and treatments that can fight many venereal diseases.  In some ways venereal diseases today have a stigma significantly less than 100 years ago, because they can be treated better and do not result in death.  Popping an antibiotic is as easy as popping a diet pill or taking cold medication.

Additional Articles from the Book of Medicine:

• Use of the Auricles
  
  

  Use of the Auricles– The auricles serve as reservoirs to receive the blood — the right, as it comes dark and foul from its tour of the body; the left, as it filters bright and pure from the oxygenated forest of lungs — and to furnish it to the ventricles as they need it. This is graphically shown in the chart, the large blue vein, formed by the jugular and subclavian veins, is seen descending downward and emptying into the right auricle; the red pulmonary vein, formed by the coalescing of its numerous branches, conveying rich, pure blood for the lungs and depositing it in the left auricle.corresponding to the lightness of the work they perform, the walls of the auricles are comparatively thin and weak.

  ____________

  Referring to the blood as dark and foul seems a little overly dramatic for this particular description. Similarly it refers to the blue vein, which as we’ve pointed out in a past article is inaccurate. Other than those accommodation of odd and incorrect items section is in too bad. It’s a little overly descriptive in a literary sense but the most part seems to be fairly on-topic.

  If the author really wanted to see something that was foul or dangerous I wonder what they would’ve thought of a Def Leppard concert. In a way it’s too bad that the authors are not alive today, otherwise I would’ve sent them a def leppard tour schedule. I’m sure that would give them something to really write about.

• Typhoid from Milk
  
  

  Typhoid from Milk.  — it is also been proven in late years the typhoid is transmitted from infected milk, cows have been allowed to drink from streams that have had the discharges from typhoid patients thrown into them here in the germs have been taken into the cows and finally into the milk.  This note was distributed to families and in many cases caused typhoid.

  

  If you think that is interesting check out this article from the New York times from 1913(pdf).  The timing is extraordinary as this could be close to the date of publication of this book. I suspect that since the book does not mention this experiment and finding the author either did not give merit to the experiment or the experiment had not yet been published, ergo the book was published first.  100 years from now someone will probably be trying to compare the traces of Apidexin or other drugs like we are typhoid

  

  That’s pretty amazing to find something that close in time frame.

  Extract from the Article:

  IMMUNIZED MILK KILLS TYPHOID AND TUBERCLE BACILLI; Dr. Julius Rosenberg’s Experiments Lead Him to Believe That the Milk of Immunized Animals Will Prevent These Infections and May Cure Them in Human Beings.

  By Van Buren Thorne, M.D.

  December 14, 1913, Sunday

  Section: Magazine Section, Page SM7, 3654 words

  DR. JULIUS ROSENBERG, a well-known physician of this city, is carrying on a series of experiments in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, the results of which are likely, in his opinion, to check the spread of typhoid fever and tuberculosis and reduce the mortality from these diseases.

• BONES OF THE HEAD, BASE AND NECK.
  
  

  
  

  Bones of the Skull — this illustration gives an accurate and faithful representation of the head, face and neck, surrounded by an outline of the fleshy parts as they appear in the human frame. The bones of the head, eight in number, constitute the skull, and those of the face, 14 and number, compose a strong, hard bony case, which encloses and affords a suitable protection for the brain and the four organs a special sense, viz.: site, smell, taste and hearing. All of these bones are in movable, except the lower jaw, which moves by means of a hinge-joint, and permits of the opening and closing of the mouth.

  One of the things that struck me as I dictated this last segment (for my readers information I am using Dragon Naturally Speaking to dictate this text as well as my views on the text) was the large number of commas as used in this paragraph. By my count there were 15 used in this paragraph which had three sentences. Now this book in general uses the coma extensively and reminds me of a style of writing that I was taught in grade school shortly before several rules of language were simplified. For example when I was in grade school I was taught that a conjunction that included the word “and” should have a coma in between each item building up to the conjunction including the last word that preceded the word “and.”

  Back then I would’ve drafted this sentence as follows:
  I went to the store, the post office, the car wash, and the bank.

  Later in high school some economy of writing came about and decreased 1 of the commas needed in writing. I don’t know when or why this occurred, but I do recall several grammar teachers remarking on the fact and teach in is the new writing style. Back then I didn’t follow the news quite to the extent that I do today and so I do not recall whether there was a boost in the global economy due to the increased productivity allowed workers especially “knowledge workers” who would not have had to write, type or dictate quite as many commas. In fact they would have one less coma to write. Can you imagine what everyone did with all that extra time saved him from writing?

  Now honestly one coma probably to make that big of a difference. But now as I read the library of health I realize that over the last 82 a hundred years the world hasn’t saved just one coma; they have saved close to a dozen per paragraph. Computers may have brought a significant amount of productivity to the workforce, but just imagine how much we’ve saved over the last hundred years writing fewer comas.

  I wonder when the majority of the comas as were lost. Maybe it was the result of World War I or World War II or the combination of both wars. It’s possible that to expedite communications Society had to adapt and reduce the number of dits in das used in a telegraph. The war to end all wars may have failed in Indian all wars, but it may have succeeded in putting an end to a few extra comas.