SYPHILIS AMONG MARRIED WOMEN 293 



terrible result, and one that may well make optimists pause. 

 It is impossible to arrive at an estimate of the total number of 

 syphilitic women for various reasons ; and only if we could obtain 

 reliable statistics on this point during a given period could we 

 calculate approximately the total number of syphilitic married 

 women, basing our calculation on the above-mentioned per- 

 centage-rate of one married woman for every five patients. 

 But even without knowing the exact number of syphilitic 

 women, there is reason to suppose them to be numerous. 

 And when we reflect that one out of every five is an honest 

 married woman, on whom the race is dependent for its con- 

 tinuance, we may well dilute somewhat the optimism of Herbert 

 Spencer, based on the opinion of fifty -four anonymous Notting- 

 ham doctors. 



It is an argument not unfrequently used, in order to justify 

 the suppression of prophylactic measures against venereal disease, 

 that syphilis is the monopoly of the world of prostitution. In 

 the first place, this argument, as we have seen, is utterly wrong 

 in regard to a matter of fact, for syphilis is not the monopoly of 

 this particular class ; and, in the second place, even supposing 

 that it were thus monopohsed by prostitutes and irregulars, 

 could it be seriously contested that it is therefore not a social 

 danger ? As if, through the medium of prostitutes and irregulars, 

 society cannot be profoundly contaminated ! It is nothing to 

 the point to say that the man who has been contaminated has 

 only himself to blame ; science has nothing to do with arguments 

 based on morahty, but only with arguments based on fact. 

 The question of " fault " has no connection with the matter ; 

 we are in presence of a fact — the fact that syphilis is a very 

 grave disease, capable of doing much harm to the race ; and of 

 the circumstances in which syphilis is communicated we need 

 take no account. Science knows neither moral nor immoral 

 diseases ; it knows only disease as disease, and its only mission 



