After the War: The New Penicillin Therapy
By the end of World War II the problem of syphilis was beginning to recede, both in public consciousness and in terms of statistical measures. Part of this was the normal relaxation in the immediate aftermath of war, the return to home and family, the desire for stability, and a reluctance to confront social and sexual problems or to dwell on their existence. Even more important, however, was the success of the new drug, penicillin: At last, it appeared that venereal diseases could be quickly and effectively treated. It seemed to be only a matter of time before the venereal diseases would finally be eliminated with the aid of modern medicine's "miracle cures."
By 1940 the new "miracle drug" penicillin had been discovered and purified. In 1943 it was used for the first time to treat syphilis but was not yet generally available; supplies were still strictly rationed.[68] Soon it would completely transform the old methods of treating venereal diseases. Penicillin treatments for syphilis were given over a period of eight days; because supplies of the drug were then very limited, only cases judged to be highly infectious were sent for "an eight-day cure, or what is for the present considered to be a cure." [69] On December 31, 1944, the Baltimore City Hospitals opened the first rapid treatment center for treating syphilis with penicillin. From all initial reports, the new experimental treatment was remarkably effective.
On June 20, 1945, Mayor Theodore R. McKeldin approved a new city ordinance, making treatment for venereal diseases compulsory for the first time. Those suspected of having syphilis or gonorrhea were required to take penicillin therapy at the Rapid Treatment Center.[70] Those refusing treatment could be isolated in the venereal disease division of the Baltimore City Hospitals; members of the Church of Christ Scientist, who could not be forced to take treatment, could still be quarantined. This new ordinance was much stricter than previous health regulations but was passed with little controversy. The new penicillin therapy was, apparently, safe and effective, requiring, at most, a few days' treatment. Legislators who might have hesitated in requiring a prolonged or
possibly dangerous therapy—such as the older treatment with arsenic and heavy metals—had few qualms about mandating the new penicillin treatment.
The ordinance was, however, rarely invoked. Most patients were eager to go to the Rapid Treatment Center when diagnosed. In 1946 nearly two thousand people with infectious syphilis received treatment: Most were reported as completely cured. (Before penicillin, only an estimated 25 percent of patients completed the lengthy treatments considered necessary for a full cure.)[71] In 1947 the Baltimore Sun reviewed the city's experience with the new ordinance: "On the basis of this experience [over the last 16 months], it is clear that the protection of the public against persons carrying the disease and refusing to be treated more than outweighs the sacrifice of individual rights by so small a number. . . . Under the circumstances, the enactment of a permanent ordinance seems fully justified."[72]
In 1947 the State Health Department announced that "for the first time in history any resident of Maryland who contracts syphilis can obtain treatment resulting in prompt and almost certain cure."[73] For the first time, there were sufficient supplies of penicillin to treat everyone—not just the veterans, not just the infectious cases, but every patient with syphilis or gonorrhea. By 1948 gonorrhea could be cured with a single injection, and syphilis with a short series of treatments.