venereal disease in the early stages is difficult to detect in women,
even by skilled experts working with the best methods and with
practically unlimited time at their disposal, the routine inspection
given, for example, in the French and German houses is no guarantee of
the inmates being free from communicable disease even at the time of
inspection.

Flexner, who spent two years in making inquiries and writing his classic
work on "Prostitution in Europe," is most emphatic on this point. The
experience of the American troops in the Great War is further strong
confirmation. The following is an extract from an article published by
the American Red Cross in May, 1918: "During the months of August,
September, October, and the first half of November, the houses of
prostitution flourished and were half-filled with soldiers. On November
15th rigid orders were issued placing these houses out of bounds, and
the immediate result was a great reduction of sexual contacts. As a
result there was a steady decline in venereal infections, and the
monthly rate per 1,000, which in October reached 16.8, dropped in
January to 2.1 among the white troops. During the same period there was
an even more striking drop in the infections among the negro labourers,
the percentage dropping from 108.7 per 1,000 a month to 11 per 1,000. No
statistics could speak more eloquently for the doctrine of closing the
houses of prostitution. Our studies showed numerous infections coming
from houses 'inspected' three times a week."

In May, 1921, a conference (the North European Conference on Venereal
Diseases), in which England, Finland, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden,
and Denmark participated, passed the following resolution: "This
conference, having considered the general measures for the combating of
venereal diseases which have been adopted by the participating