MEDICINE AND MORALS 



to arise in many minds, that their motive 

 in spreading abroad such information is 

 selfish, they should ignore or brave in view 

 of the good they may do by letting the 

 afflicted know that healing is within reach. 



Ignorance is widespread, dense, and dan- 

 gerous, touching another line of maladies. 

 Nameless destructive habits and diseases 

 are abroad, whose ravages could be most 

 happily lessened were physicians less reti- 

 cent The victims themselves need instruc- 

 tion; and when, as is often the case, they 

 are young persons, their parents and friends 

 need it as well. 



Family physicians should be bolder than 

 they are in urging parents to inform their 

 children in highly important points of anat- 

 omy, physiology, and hygiene on which 

 young people not carefully coached by those 

 responsible for them are prone to learn 

 wrongly or else to learn when it is too late. 

 No false modesty, no narrow view of his 

 office, no fear of being thought prurient, 

 should keep a family practitioner from 

 faithfully performing this delicate duty. 



361 



