FRII-01 THE IMPACT OF VENEREAL DISEASE DURING WORLD WAR I: HUGH HAMPTON YOUNG AND THE CHASTE OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The effect of venereal disease (VD) during World War I (WWI) was an underappreciated morbidity afflicting American soldiers. Along with mental illness and tuberculosis, VD was one of the most common non-combat related causes for soldier disability. The objective of this study is to review the impact of VD on the American military during WWI and to highlight the role of Hugh Hampton Young in assisting commanding officers in combating VD amongst their ranks. METHODS: A review of medical journals and historical textbooks was performed in order to give a comprehensive dissertation of the impact of VD on the American military during WWI. RESULTS: Prior to American involvement in WWI, prevalence of VD (primarily gonorrhea) among Allied forces was estimated to be 11-25%. Soldiers with gonorrhea were unable to fight and were problematic for commanding officers. VD was mainly the result of unsanctioned brothels in Europe, as soldiers frequented these establishments in an attempt to escape the rigors of war. With the arrival of American soldiers in France and their unregulated use of French prostitutes, General John Pershing became aware of this public health dilemma and immediately notified Secretary of War Newton Baker. Baker, with knowledge of President Wilson’s Presbyterian background and American civilian conservatism, subsequently instituted a policy that commanding officers were responsible for the general health of their soldiers. To aid the commanding officers, General Pershing enlisted the assistance of Urologist Dr. Hugh Hampton Young to Europe in May 1917 as Director of the Division of Urology in the American Expeditionary Force. American soldiers were ordered to be chaste and prohibited from encountering French women. Soldiers found to have VD were subject to irrigation of the bladder and penis with potassium permanganate and threatened with ‘court martial’. Commanders failing to keep VD to a minimum among their soldiers were at risk of losing rank. As a result of these combined efforts the prevalence of VD in the American military decreased after the institution of the policy, and was considerably lower than Allied forces from other countries. CONCLUSIONS: VD was an important public health dilemma for soldiers during WWI resulting in significant morbidity and affecting a soldier’s ability to perform in combat. With the assistance of Hugh Hampton Young, American military leaders were able to institute policies to counter the effects of VD and concomitantly maintain American conservative morals overseas. For his efforts, Dr. Young was promoted to Colonel in 1918 and received the Distinguished Service Medal in 1919.