ect in stiffening moral backbone than the laxities of
present-day social life. In the last analysis, the making of the moral
tone of the army is in our own hands, and by putting into it good blood
and high ideals, we can do as much to raise from it a clean manhood as
by submitting that same manhood to the temptations and inducements to
sexual laxity that it meets on every street corner.

This chapter closes the discussion of syphilis as a problem for the
every-day man and woman. It represents essentially the cross-section of
a moving stream. Today's truth may be tomorrow's error in any field of
human activity, and medicine is no exception to this law of change. It
is impossible to speak gospel about many things connected with syphilis,
or to offer more than current opinion, based on the keenest
investigation of the facts which modern methods make possible. None the
less, the great landmarks in our progress stand out with fair prospect
of permanent place. The germ, the recognition of the disease by blood
test and dark field microscope, the treatment and prevention seem built
on a firm foundation. As they stand, without regard to further advances,
they offer a brilliant future to a campaign for control To that
campaign, each and every one of us can address himself with the
prospect of adding his mite of energy to a tremendous movement for human
betterment. For every man or woman to whom the word syphilis can be made
to mean, not a secret, private, shameful disease, but a great open
problem in public health, a recruit has been called to the colors. There
are no signs more hopeful of the highest destiny for humanity than those
of today which mark the transition of disease from a personal to a
social problem. Such a transition foreshadows the passing of syphilis.
In that transition, each one of us has his part. Toward that
consummation, a goal only to be won by united and stubborn assault, each
one of us can contribute the comprehension, the sympathetic support, the
indomitable determination, which make victory.

INDEX

ABORTION, syphilis as cause of, 95

Abortive cure and marriage, 127
of syphilis, 27, 86
salvarsan in, 73, 79, 89
time required for, 87

Accidents, late, 45. _See also late syphilis_

Advertising in regard to treatment for syphilis, 175, 176

Alcohol, effects of, in syphilis, 137

America, backwardness of, in movement against venereal diseases, 181
state control of venereal diseases