As for the United States, in 1970 it saw a 16-percent increase in gonorrhea and an 8-percent increase in syphilis over the previous year. Besides, it has been estimated that there are some 500,000 undetected cases of syphilis.

Rates in some cities have doubled and even tripled over the previous year. Houston, Texas, is said to have a “galloping venereal disease epidemic,” and in Los Angeles in the past year 6 percent of women giving birth to babies had gonorrhea. United States health officials state that, while the syphilis problem is disturbing, the gonorrhea situation has almost reached a point causing despair.

Syphilis is the more dangerous, whereas gonorrhea is the most prevalent venereal disease.

Gonorrhea is caused by a tiny organism shaped like two coffee beans. Its spread is almost wholly limited to sexual intercourse. Within three to five days it makes itself felt by a burning or stinging sensation at the time of urination, by emission of pus accompanied by redness and soreness of the male sex organ. Yet, 8 out of 10 women have no obvious symptoms.

While gonorrhea does not have the same tragic consequences that syphilis does, it can lead to sterility in both men and women and result in chronic invalidism in the latter. It can cause blindness in infants passing through an infected birth canal.

However, doctors warn that women taking the pill are more susceptible to contracting gonorrhea.