Sex Education During the War
During the war the city health department and a research group at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health undertook a daring task—to teach "sex hygiene" in the public schools. They gave talks to groups of high school students (separated by sex), showed plaster models of the male and female reproductive systems, and gave simple explanations of "menstruation, conception, pregnancy, nocturnal emis-
sions and masturbation, but omitting intercourse and childbirth."[61] The project organizers found that "the boys frequently asked for further information about masturbation, and often about prophylaxis which had purposely been omitted from the talk."[62]
The talk presented to the students offers an interesting glimpse of sex education in 1944 and of a project regarded with much interest, and some nervousness, by the city health department. Sex was introduced with military metaphors; sex, the students were told, was like "the fast, tricky fighter planes of the Army"—very difficult to handle. "Sex is just as difficult a problem to handle as any airplane . . . . It is no wonder then that there are so many crashes in the field of sex. When a plane crashes, a person may not walk away from such an accident, or if he does he may carry injury that will last his lifetime. Similar results occur from crashes in the field of sex."[63]
Having been assured that sex was both exciting and dangerous, students were then given a brief description of male reproductive physiology, ending with a caution against masturbation. Masturbation was not dangerous, students were told, merely unnecessary and possibly habit-forming: "It is true that having formed the habit a person may devote too much time and thought to that sort of thing which will hurt the other things in life, such as studies, athletics, and normal friendships."[64] A brief description of the female reproductive system was followed by a discussion of morals and ethics, warning of the need for judgment, but avoiding any definite conclusion: "Since this problem differs for each one, because of different religions, different stages of financial independence and varied ethical standards, we cannot answer anyone's special problem here."[65] Students were urged to discuss their questions with parents and teachers and to read a social hygiene pamphlet entitled "Growing Up in the World Today."[66]
The third part of the presentation, on venereal diseases, emphasized the dangers of sex. Intimacy brought the germs of syphilis—sexual intercourse was the most threatening, but even kisses could carry disease. Early treatment could help before much damage was done, but the best strategy was to avoid any possible contact with these sexual germs: "They can be caught only from an infected person and therefore, we should avoid intimate contact with an infected person. But we cannot tell by looking at a person whether he or she is infected or not; the answer is to avoid intimate contact with all persons except in marriage. This is the only sure way of avoiding these diseases."[67]
At least for these high school students, the link between sexual mo-
rality and venereal disease was clear—sexual intimacy led to syphilis and was therefore to be avoided except in marriage (why marital sex should be "safe" was never explained, nor was congenital syphilis ever mentioned).