which is one of the penalties of such abuse. Attempts have been made 

to communicate the disease to lower animals, but without success, even 

though inoculation was practiced. 

Origin of the Foul Disease.--Where or when the disease originated, is 

a mystery. It is said to have been introduced into France from Naples 

by French soldiers. That it originated spontaneously at some time can 

scarcely be doubted, and that it might originate under circumstances 

of excessive violation of the laws of chastity is rendered probable 

by the fact that gonorrhea, or an infectious disease exactly resembling 

it, is often caused by excessive indulgence, from which cause it not 

infrequently occurs in the newly married, giving rise to unjust 

suspicion of infidelity on both sides. 

Read the following from a noted French physician:-- 

"The father, as well as the mother, communicates the syphilitic virus 

to the children. These poor little beings are attacked sometimes at 

their birth; more often it is at the end of a month or two, before these 

morbid symptoms appear. 

"I recall the heart-rending anguish of a mother whom I assisted at her 

fifth confinement. She related to me her misfortune: 'I have already 

brought into the world four children. Alas! they all died during the 

first months of their existence. A frightful eruption wasted them away 

and killed them. Save me the one that is about to be born!' cried she, 

in tears. The child that I delivered was sickly and puny. A few days 

after its birth, it had purulent ophthalmia; then, crusted and 

ulcerated pustules, a few at first, numerous afterward, covered the 

entire surface of the skin. Soon this miserable little being became 

as meager as a skeleton, hideous to the sight, and died. Having 

questioned the husband, he acknowledged to me that he had had 

syphilis."[45] 

[Footnote 45: Bourgeois.] 

Cure of the "Social Evil."--With rare exceptions, the efforts of civil 

legislation have been directed toward controlling or modifying this 

vice, rather than extirpating it. 

Among other devices adopted with a view to effect this, and to mitigate 

in some degree the resulting evils, the issuing of licenses for brothels 

has been practiced in several large cities. One of the conditions of 

the license makes it obligatory upon the keepers of houses of ill-repute 

and their inmates to submit to medical examination at stated intervals. 

By this means, it is expected to detect the cases of foul disease at 

the outset, and thus to protect others by placing the infected 

individuals under restraint and treatment. It will be seen that for 

many reasons such examinations could not be effective; but, even if 

they were, the propriety of this plan of dealing with the vice is 

exceedingly questionable, as will appear from the following 

considerations:-- 

1. The moment that prostitution is placed under the protection of law 

by means of a license, it at once loses half its disrepute, and becomes 

respectable, as do gambling and liquor-selling under the same 

circumstances.