During the past year there has been considerable agitation at the University of Wisconsin concerning syphilis, owing largely to the great publicity the disease has received in the lay press.
The Department of Student Health at the university thought it desirable to obtain information concerning the incidence of syphilis among college students from all walks of life. However, it was predicted in advance that there was relatively little syphilis in this class of citizens. In the propaganda that was published no words were minced, and the entire student body had a clear conception of the disease. An elaborate setup was established to assure to each student protection of his or her identity, and every student was given an opportunity to have a Wassermann test made. This was done in cooperation with the Psychiatric Institute of this university, where the great majority of Wassermann tests of blood and of spinal fluid