Quarter Million Teenagers (1964)

how many people in this picture would you guess 6 8,000 how many here in this whole stadium there are just about 100,000 that was about the number of people in our country who in one year recently contracted syphilis there were 10 times that many new cases of another venial disease ganara over a million and of these cases of VD about a quarter million were teenagers first perhaps it's time we stop being secretive time we learn something about this lurking threat to health this is the cork screw shaped organism that causes syphilis a Spyro ganara is caused by a bacterium called a ganicus there are other kinds of aerial disease but ganara and syphilis are the two common ones some kinds of organisms thrive in spoiled Foods some in water some can live for long periods on a dry utensil but the organisms of ganara and syphilis live in people dying almost immediately when they're exposed to air or light or soap and water there are old tales about these diseases being transmitted by towels or toilet seats or door knobs it's time these tals were stopped ganara and syphilis are passed from person to person by intimate bodily contact when there is sexual contact one infected person is very likely to fect the other let's investigate how these diseases affect the body the organisms of syphilis may enter the body through the mucus membrane this is a particular kind of moist tissue that lines various inner surfaces of the body such as those of the sexual organs the mouth and the anus but the spyit are also able to enter the tough epidermis the skin that covers the outer parts of the body here they may be washed away or killed with soap and water if washed thoroughly soon after the contact even so they may Lodge in small breaks in the skin the bacteria of ganara on the other hand enter the body only by way of the mucus membrane let's follow the progress of ganaria first in the male in this cross-section of the male sexual organs here are the testes where the sperm are produced from each test a duct leads into the passageway through the penis the tube within the penis is called the urethra in a male the bacteria of ganara almost always enter the body by way of the urethra the infection spreads along the passageway causing a painful burning sensation particularly during urination the infected tissue secretes a thick fluid which flows down the urethra a boy is almost always able to tell when he has ganara by these two symptoms the thick fluid at the end of the penis and the painful burning sensation if not treated the infection spreads along the tubes and into the glands one of the dangers of Gara is that scar tissue may form in the tubes leading from the testes when sperm can't get through blocked tubes the boy is unable to become a father in the female organs the progress of ganara is rather different here inside view are the vagina and the uterus or womb the infection is likely to start at this point it is possible for the bacteria to spread and infect the urethra the tube through which the urine passes it is more likely however that the infection will spread into the fallopian tubes the tubes leading down from the ovaries to the uterus when this happens a girl's symptoms are often so slight that she is not even aware that she is infected and so does not seek treatment we can get a better idea of the relationship of the Fallopian tubes and ovaries if we view them from the front under normal conditions an ovam matures in the ovary then passes down the fallopian tube on its way to the uterus when ganara spreads upward the infection can cause damage which blocks the Fallopian tubes sometimes causing severe complications as in a boy untreated gonorrhea can make a girl sterile unable to become a mother however a girl with ganara can become a mother but this creates another problem when the baby is ready to be born there is danger that she may transmit the disease to the child when it passes out of her body the bacteria of ganara can also get into the circulatory system in either sex the blood carries them to other parts of the body particularly the joints where the bacteria multiply causing swelling and severe pain the progress of Syphilis is very different spyit are almost immediately carried to other tissues by the two transportation systems of the body the circulatory system and the lymphatic system within a short time a few Spyro kites can multiply until the diseased person is carrying around literally billions of them there is no outward sign for two or 3 weeks or sometimes even as long as 3 months then a small painless soar called a Shanker usually appears most often on the sex organs on a girl a Shanker may be within the vagina and if so she frequently will not be aware of it however a Shanker may be on almost any other part of the body one of its distinguishing features is that it looks as though it should be painful but quite often is not a Shanker is filled with spyit which can infect another person very easily if there is contact if the person is treated by a doctor the organisms can be killed quickly and the Shanker will soon disappear but the Shanker would disappear soon even if not treated the person's body would still be filled with spyit and the disease would progress even though the person looks and feels perfectly well in a few weeks new outward signs may appear often a rash such as this it may be on the body sometimes on the the palms of the hands often hair falls out in patches there may be sores in moist folds of the body this one behind an ear there may be sores on the face the lips or in the mouth these symptoms too will disappear even without treatment but the disease Remains the person may feel and look healthy even though he is carrying around billions of spyit as time goes on the spyit May settle down in a particular organ such as the liver they may weaken the heart they may seriously damage the nervous system the damage may occur rapidly or it may take as long as 20 or 30 years to show up then it can take the form of crippling blindness a heart attack mental disease death another tragic result occurs in pregnancy during the early stages of the disease a mother who has not been treated is likely to transmit the organisms causing the baby to be born with syphilis since the effects of syphilis and ganara are so very serious it is extremely important to get treatment how does one know if he is infected a boy will always be able to recognize the symptoms of Gonorrhea a girl often will not usually she won't have pain or other obvious symptoms to warn her that she is infected because of this it's important for a boy to help an unsuspecting girl to be treated also fortunately in the early stages gonorrhea can usually be cured quickly and easily if the person goes to a doctor and what about recognizing syphilis unfortunately a Shanker may not appear or be so small that it is hardly noticed and the later symptoms may just seem like another unpleasant but harmless skin rash the important thing is to be suspicious of any sore or rash that appears after sexual contact with another person whether it's days or weeks later embarrassment should never keep a person from getting help whatever is told to a doctor is held confidential and embarrassment is hardly a reason for taking a chance on this or this or this among other things the doctor will do a physical examination and a test for the disease from these he'll be able to tell whether the person needs treatment for syphilis if the boy or girl has no personal physician to whom he can go he can locate the public health Department in most cities there are public clinics which give free advice and free treatment for BD both syphilis and gonorrhea can be cured in the early stages and rather quickly too but not by homemade remedies not by advertised medicines bought through the mail not by drugs that are friend says can be bought at the drugstore it takes a doctor's knowledge to give the right medicine in the right amount for the right number of days although VD can be cured even in the late stages any damage is permanent blocked tubes stay blocked a damaged nervous system is damaged for Life although a person can walk out cured after a few visits to the doctor there is one more warning VD can be caught again the body does not usually become immune to these diseases as it does to measles for example this Chain of Infection among teenagers raises some troubling questions we have tried to answer only one how an individual can break the chain by understanding the diseases and their cure but well what about the rest of the chain how can people keep from getting these diseases if getting cured is so simple why should there be so much VD why doesn't everybody go for treatment Why is the DD rate so much higher in teenagers than adults has it always been that way we're getting rid of some diseases such as polio why can't we do it with venial diseases if all teenagers knew there was so much VD do you suppose it would change their attitude about well towards sexual behavior we leave these questions to you e