"Jerry Learns a Lesson" pamphlet

Pamphlet warning public of "quack" doctors who claim to quickly cure gonorrhea and syphilis and urging people to consult their family doctors.

Florida State Board of Health

State Archives of Florida, Series S908

1950 (circa)

American Social Hygiene Association

pamphlets

eng-US

Text

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Postwar Florida (1945-1968)

Jacksonville (Fla.)

Duval County (Fla.)

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mid 20th-century

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Health and Safety

American Social Hygiene Association

JERRY LEARNS A LESSON

JERRY is sick and worried. He wants to get well as soon as possible, and like many others who do not know that reliable physicians do not advertise, he gets taken in by a fake doctor.

[Jerry] THIS PLACE ADVERTISED QUICK CURES FOR SYPHILIS AND GONORRHEA

[Jerry] HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO CURE ME?
[Dr. Quack] YOU HAVE A BAD CASE - HOW MUCH DO YOU EARN?

IF Jerry had no job and could not pay, his case would very likely be refused. Doctor Quack is interested mainly in making money-not in improving health. He intends to charge Jerry a good share of his earnings.

MONTHS LATER
[Jerry] ----I'VE PAID PLENTY BUT I'M NOT BETTER
[Friend] HE SOUNDS LIKE A FAKE- WHY DON'T YOU SEE YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR

DOCTOR QUACK plans to keep Jerry coming as long as his money holds out, meantime telling the boy that he will "soon be cured". But Jerry is beginning to learn his lesson, and stops going to the quack.

JERRY'S family doctor is a member of the County Medical Society, and is on the staffs of two fine hospitals. He will give Jerry skillful and thorough medical treatment until he is well, or may refer him to a reliable source of free treatment if he cannot afford to pay for private care.

[Family doctor] GLAD YOU CAME TO ME, JERRY. QUACKS CERTAINLY DO A LOT OF HARM.

JERRY was lucky. He learned his lesson-to keep away from quack doctors-in time to save his health and some of his money. But many other young men-and young women, too-are not so fortunate. Every year, all over the country, thousands of them, sick and worried as Jerry was, and anxious to get well without delay, keep on going to charlatans like Doctor Quack, who promise "quick cures."
Or these sick people tell their health troubles to "mail-order specialists," who advertise in cheap magazines and newspapers, and who charge large sums for worthless advice and no-good remedies.
Only when the "patient" realizes that has has spent a great deal of money without improving his health, does he come to see that he has been swindled and cheated, and that the quack doctor, far from curing him quickly, as promised, did not know how to cure him at all, and never intended to do so as long as he could be kept coming-and paying.
By the time the victim finds out his mistake, his illness may have become deeply seated. A real cure by a reliable doctor may then take much longer than it would have it treatment had begun when the infection first occurred.

WHAT JERRY LEARNED
There is no "quick cure" for syphilis or gonorrhea. No reliable doctor will guarantee one.
Only a fully qualified doctor-that is, a doctor who has been graduated from an approved medical school and licensed to practice by the State Board of Medical Examiners-is competent to diagnose and treat syphilis and gonorrhea.
Such doctors never advertise in newspapers, magazines, or by placards, cards, or leaflets, or by flashy signs. They do not promise miracles of "cure."
No reliable doctor will diagnose any ailment by mail, or without seeing the patient.
If you need a doctor, and do not know where to find one, telephone the County Medical Society or ask your Department of Health or a general hospital to recommend a physician in your neighborhood.
If you need medical attention and cannot afford to pay a private physician, your State Health Department or City Health Officer may arrange for you to go to a free clinic or receive free treatment in some other way.

KEEP AWAY FROM QUACKS!


HEALTH HELPS

REMEMBER THIS-

Syphilis and gonorrhea are dangerous diseases. They are catching. They do lasting and serious damage to health if left untreated. They can be checked by proper treatment, and if treatment is begun early enough, they can be cured. Only a skilled physician can tell when a person has syphilis or gonorrhea, and only a physician can cure these diseases.
ANYONE WHO SUSPECTS THAT HE HAS BEEN INFECTED WITH SYPHILIS OR GONORRHEA, SHOULD LOSE NO TIME IN FINDING A PHYSICIAN, AND SHOULD STICK TO TREATMENT AS LONG AS THE DOCTOR SAYS IT IS NEEDED.

If you need help in finding a physician or a clinic
Telephone, Call, or Write to the
FLORIDA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH,
JACKSONVILLE

READ
Questions and Answers about Syphilis and Gonorrhea. Pub. no. A-130.
Health for Your Baby and You. Pub. No. A-194.
If your Health Department does not have copies, these and other leaflets may be secured from
THE AMERICAN SOCIAL HYGIENE ASSOCIATION
1790 Broadway, New York, N. Y.

Pub. No. A-237 Printed in the U.S.A.