ANTI-SYPHILITIC PROPHYLAXIS 305 



syphilitic, and so far preventing further contagion. At any rate, 

 the question is one which is sufficiently important, one would 

 think, to be seriously considered by the London County Council, 

 seeing that it is one which intimately concerns the physical well- 

 being of the race. 



But what is more important than the supervision of prostitute 

 women or the licensing of special houses, important and useful 

 though we believe these institutions to be, is the education of 

 boys and, to a certain extent, of young girls. In France the 

 Societe Francaise de Prophylaxie Sanitaire et Morale, which has 

 Professor Foumier as president, has done, and is doing, good 

 work in this direction, chiefly through the medium of publica- 

 tions. In England — to our knowledge, at least — no sinular 

 society exists. And yet, better than any medical supervision of 

 women or hcensing of houses is the bringing home to the young 

 man of what syphilis is — ^by which we mean what syphilis is for 

 the individual and for the race. The young man who is im- 

 pressed by the knowledge of what syphihs is, what dangers it 

 can imply for him personally, what dangers for his future wife, 

 and what dangers for his future children and grandchildren — 

 nay, even great-grandchildren — this young man is more Hkely 

 to take care to avoid the risks than he who knows nothing of 

 these things, or has only a vague idea of them. 



At school to-day great care is taken to give a boy a sound 

 knowledge of dead languages ; but absolutely no care is taken 

 to instruct him concerning those things which most intimately 

 concern his own bodily welfare, and that of his future wife 

 and progeny. We have ourselves assisted, in the chapel of a 

 public school, at the homily of a reverend head master on the 

 sin of breaking the Sixth Commandment ; but this same head 

 master would probably have been surprised had one suggested 

 to him the utility of imparting some knowledge to his pupils of 

 the dangers of syphilis. But surely, if it be not thought unfit 

 to deliver an address to boys of fourteen to sixteen years of age 



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