Venereal Disease During World War II

Woman Sentenced On Health Charge – Brought into Municipal Court on information that she had transmitted syphilis to two soldiers, Arlene Adams Willoughby, 23, of 1422A N Street Northwest, yesterday became the first white woman to be sentenced in the District for failure to comply with health laws regulating communicable disease. Judge Arnold W. Scott imposed a penalty of 60 days in jail and an additional four months in default of payment of fines totaling $200, on charges that the girl failed to report her condition and refused to submit to treatment. Hospital care was recommended by the court, and Judge Scott indicated the length of his sentence was intended to ensure complete recovery before the girl is released.

In 1942, venereal disease was a topic of discussion especially relating to World War II soldiers who contracted syphilis and gonorrhea. In the papers of Theodore G. Bilbo resides a folder specifically about the venereal diseases that ravaged Mississippi, and it describes the many opinions of the public and news outlets during that time. Venereal disease was taken so seriously that people (mostly women) were arrested and given a penalty for having a sexually transmitted disease (STD). In 1942, Arlene Adams Willoughby, was the first white woman in her district to be sentenced for 60 days in jail for being guilty of giving syphilis to two soldiers.

Of course, this was not the only case that occurred in the 1940s. In Louisiana, there were cases of women with STDs who were charged $10.00 and sent to jail for 10 days as punishment. These women were labeled as "women without morals" [1]. To combat the increase in venereal disease, facilities and hospitals were established to treat those afflicted with the illnesses. In1936, it was reported that there were 713 venereal disease clinics in the United States. Six years later, there was a massive increase to 3,088 clinics (with Mississippi having about 276). Also, the volume of treatments changed drastically from 1936 to 1940, increasing from 2,122,000 to 10,178,000 treatments, respectively [2].

This war on venereal disease was also dubbed the war on prostitution, but the scope of this war was much wider than those convicted of prostitution. The main target of the movement was women overall. Remarks about women's hygiene, innocence, cleanliness, and more were made in the news, but men were seldom talked about in such a manner. News outlets encouraged men to be skeptical of even the "nicest" women, stating that even they could have a venereal disease [3]. However, while men were typically not punished for carrying or spreading STDs, their actions (and the government's) did not go completely unnoticed. A journalist by the name of William. R. Henly vehemently called out 741,675 World War I veterans who, according to him, had hidden their diseased status from the public [4]. The reason for this outcry from Henly was because of a new memorial site dedicated to World War I veterans. He thought that more venereal disease hospitals would be a better use of the money. He then went on to make a case for the children and women who might be affected by these veterans, explaining that the veterans would spread the STDs to unknowing victims (and consequently, letting the venereal disease be inherited by their future children).

Henly's outrage for money wrongly spent points out a very real concern for many people then, especially with the report from another news clipping stating that there was a shortage of venereal disease facilities. The shortage of facilities was such that jails were full of women arrested for prostitution, as well as other women who were unable to access treatment for their ailments.  In Florida, it was reported that 212 women were held in a jail meant for only 75 inmates, nearly tripling the original capacity [5].

All these instances where women were punished for an act that both sexes participated in show another example of the inequality at the time, particularly against women. Venereal diseases, which could only be sexually transmitted, were used to target many women of the period. However, it is now commonly known that men and women were equally responsible for the quick spread of venereal diseases.

To view this material found in the Theodore G. Bilbo Papers, visit Special Collections in McCain Library & Archives room 305. The library is open Monday – Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions about the item, contact Jennifer Brannock at .

Written by Joseph Dunlap, a sophomore nursing major.

**Items of the Month featured in 2024 and 2025 will be the work of Southern Miss students who took HON 303, a seminar held in Fall 2024 focusing on archives and special collections.

 

Citations:
[1] Parascandola, John. "Presidential Address: Quarantining Women: Venereal Disease Rapid Treatment Centers in World War II America." Bulletin of the History of Medicine, vol. 83 no. 3, 2009, p. 431-459. Project MUSE, https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/bhm.0.0267.
[2] Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, Vol. 61, No. 1/2 (August 1945), pp. 195-200 (6 pages)
[3] Hegarty, M.E. (1998). Patriot or Prostitute? Sexual Discourses, Print Media, and American Women during World War II. Journal of Women's History 10(2),118. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jowh.2010.0315.
[4] Venereal Disease, Box: 1129, Folder: 1. Theodore G. Bilbo Papers, M2. Historical Manuscripts and Photographs, Report: "Venereal Disease Hospitals are needed much more than Memorial Buildings" https://specialcollections.usm.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/79095 Accessed September 25, 2024.
[5] Venereal Disease, Box: 1129, Folder: 1. Theodore G. Bilbo Papers, M2. Historical Manuscripts and Photographs. https://specialcollections.usm.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/79095 Accessed September 25, 2024. News clipping "Money for Treatment of Disease Lacking"