The News And Views

Wilmington VD Official's Charges Are Denied Here

The News and Views has received the following letter from Dr. Sidney S. Lee, district venereal disease control officer, whose headquarters are in Wilmington:

"Mr. Billy Arthur

"News and Views

"Jacksonville, N. C.

"Dear Mr. Arthur:

"I have recently received word of my transfer from this area to a post as V.D. Control Officer for the state of West Virginia.

"Before leaving, I thought you might be interested in an up-to-date commentary on the V.D. situation in the area.

"Suppression of prostitution both of the paid and casual pick-up variety - is extremely important to effective V.D. Control, especially in a military area. It is something which requires constant pressure, notably on the part of the law enforcement agencies. There seems to be considerable hesitancy on the part of your sheriff's department to maintain the type of pressure necessary, and I believe that periodic needling from your paper would help. At the present time, the Dew Drop Inn section is the worst in town. Perhaps something could be done to clean up this section - not just from a V.D. standpoint, but also from a general public health and esthetic point of view.

"In the Wilmington area, we have succeeded in producing a steady downward trend in reported V.D. However, this trend is much slower in Onslow County, probably due to circumstances noted above.

"Your cooperation in our program has been outstanding. I greatly appreciate your help.

"Sincerely yours,

"Sidney S. Lee, M.D.

"V.D. Control Officer."

Upon receipt of the letter the News and Views contacted Sheriff Thomas J. Marshall and Dr. Eleanor Williams, district health officer.

Sheriff Marshall was "surprised" by the letter and asked for a copy, adding:

Dr. Lee "never has conferred with me, never has asked my assistance or has never talked with me about any of these things."

CONT. ON PAGE EIGHT
VD
CONT. FROM PAGE ONE

any members of my department, so far as I know.

"I have never seen the gentleman.

"My department and I always have tried to be cooperative in everything Dr. Williams (the Onslow-Pender district health officer) has asked us to do. We have always got along fine, I think. And there has been only one time that she asked me to do anything that either I or one of my deputies didn't do. That was, if I remember correctly, on the day after the Baysden case (the slaying of Mrs. W. E. Baysden of Richlands), and we were all working on that case as hard as we could. We had to let lots of work pile up that week and every week since, because we have been working all out on the Baysden case, and I only have three deputies. Running down every lead and little bit of information, no matter how small and even though it's a water haul, has taken practically all of our time. We're way behind.

"That's the only time that Dr. Williams has ever asked us to do anything that I remember we didn't do and haven't been able to get around to."

Sheriff Marshall said he did not object to publication of the letter.

Dr. Williams likewise said the sheriff's department had been cooperative. She was more specific as to the occasion to which the Sheriff referred.

"There's only one time I've asked him to help us, and so far as I know he hasn't done it. That was to raid a place in the Dew Drop section that we believed should be cleaned up. And Sheriff Marshall told me he and his department couldn't get to it right away because they were working on the Baysden case. That's the only time I recall he hasn't been able to help us right away. But I realize that he and his department are busy and understaffed."

Asked about the incidence of venereal diseases in Onslow County, Dr. Williams said the "situation is good. The number of cases has gone down considerably, and we are the first county in the entire state to re-evaluate our situation. At present we have only four known cases, two of the contacts coming in regularly for check-ups, and the other two we have to chase now and then to get them to take treatment.

"The reason our situation is so good now is because of the special clinic and because of the civilian venereal control officer attached to our department. We have a very low percentage of VD at the present time," the health officer told the News and Views.

Dr. Williams, too, disclosed that H. B. Weatherly, the VD control officer attached to the local health department, has been called back into the Army about July 15. He will be replaced, however.