Soldiers! Avoid venereal disease. Venereal Disease Information Card

Soldiers! Avoid venereal disease. Venereal Disease Information Card

In an effort to halt the progress of venereal disease in the army, Young and others tried to implement various preventative measures. One was education. Progressives, at the time, would have preferred that American men abstain from the “vice” of extramarital sex altogether. Military officials increasingly leaned toward a more pragmatic outlook, one that focused on educating soldiers about prophylaxis and treatment. This card, intended for soldiers, reveals the tension between those two schools. The front side emphasizes the roles of virtue and moral uprightness as the key to a clean bill of health. The back, containing the location of several prophylaxis stations, reflects that more pragmatic impulse.

circa 1916-1918

1 page ; 6.25 x 3.75 in.

Item 238022