that
of a man. Of course, the urine must be clear and the urethra must be
normal; however, we cannot insist that there must be no discharge.
This, because practically every woman has some slight discharge; even,
if not all the time, then at least immediately prior and subsequent to
menstruation. Of course, the discharge must be free from gonococci and
pus. Also the complement-fixation tests must be negative. But, even
so, we cannot be absolutely sure, because gonococci may be hidden in
the uterus or in the Fallopian tubes.

Here, we have to go a good deal by the history given us. If the woman,
during the course of the gonorrhea, had salpingitis, that is, an
inflammation of the Fallopian tubes, then we can never say positively
that she is cured; all we can say, at best, is: presumably cured. And,
further, if she has no pains in the uterine appendages, either
spontaneous or on examination, and, if several examinations made
within a day or two following menstruation are negative, then we may
assume that she is cured. It is important, though, that this
examination be made on the last day of menstruation or on the first or
second day following; for there are many cases in which no pus and no
gonococci will show in the inter-menstrual period, but will appear on
those particular days, because, if the gonococci are hidden high up,
they are likely to come down with the menstrual blood and portions of
mucous membrane that are shed during menstruation.

At best, it is a delicate problem, so that whenever there has been the
least suspicion that the woman may harbor gonococci I have always
advised (as is my custom, to be on the safe side) and directed the
woman to use either an antiseptic suppository or an antiseptic douche
before coitus. With these precautions adopted, I have never had an
accident happen.

=The Question of Probable Sterility.= Thus far I have considered the
problem of marriage from the standpoint of infectivity. But, we know
that, besides the effect on the individual, gonorrhea has also a
far-reaching influence on the race; in other words, that it is prone
to make the subjects--both men and women--sterile. And a candidate for
marriage may, and often does, want to know whether, besides being
noninfective, he or she is capable of begetting or having children.

In the case of man, the problem is, fortunately, a very simple one. We
can easily obtain a specimen of the man's semen and determine, by
means of the micr