Estimated Number of Cases of Syphilis Among Adults

During World War I, conscription and the medical examination of millions of draftees brought to the fore the extent of venereal diseases among the U.S. population. Controlling these diseases, especially syphilis, among troops and in communities surrounding military training camps became a major undertaking of the War Department. It used educational campaigns and propaganda, as exemplified by this flier, and drew on medical research, including Heidelberger's, to counter the threat syphilis posed to the nation's military manpower.