Simple Solutions Can Be

Difficult to Accept

Written by Marilyn Morris, Founder/President of Aim For Success

The following story can lead to an interesting family discussion.

The year was 1847. The place was a maternity ward in a hospital in Vienna, Austria. The problem was something called childbed fever, a bazaar phenomenon that was killing one out of six pregnant women during childbirth. But how could this be happening? This was the largest medical facility in the world staffed by the most highly skilled doctors of the day.

With each autopsy, vital organs were found to be filled with pus. But what was causing the pus, and why were women far more likely to die if their baby was delivered in a modern hospital than at home by a midwife?  The perplexed doctors would wipe the blood from their hands after completing an autopsy and go directly into the maternity ward to tend to their next patient - hoping, upon hope, this woman wouldn't be the next victim of this mysterious disease. 

Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician at the Vienna hospital, was outraged at the death rate.  He was determined to find the cause. One day, as he walked from the morgue into the delivery room, he had a thought. Maybe doctors were getting some kind of invisible matter on their hands when they examined a patient or a corpse. Then perhaps this matter was transferred to their next patient. If that was the case, it might help if the doctors washed their hands between each examination.

Dr. Semmelweis immediately sent a memo ordering all his staff to wash their hands in chlorinated water before and after examining each patient and after all autopsies. He even required all medical instruments be washed after each medical procedure. But doctors laughed at his theory. How could washing hands and instruments save the lives of their patients? Besides, washing hands takes time and it dries the skin. But Dr. Semmelweis was able to use his seniority to implement his new procedure and immediately the death rate plummeted.

Dr. Semmelweis now had proof. He was sure his theory was correct. Doctors were picking up some invisible, unknown substance on their hands when they examined a patient or corpse. Then, they were transmitting this substance to other patients. Astoundingly, something as simple as washing hands and medical instruments could put an end to this plague.

Was Dr. Semmelweis acclaimed as a world renowned physician for his miraculous discovery? No. In fact, the medical profession refused to accept his findings because Semmelweis' simple solution was too difficult to accept. If they embraced his conclusion, these medical geniuses would have to admit to the world it was actually their own hands killing countless women, and these men were supposed to be healers not killers. Besides embracing the concept that some invisible substance could kill a person sounded more like science fiction than modern medicine.

Even after Semmelweis compiled a 543-page scientific book proving his hand washing theory, the medical profession continued to mock him. Years went by and childbed fever continued to claim the lives of countless women in maternity wards around the world - except in a primitive hospital in Budapest where Dr. Semmelweis spent his last years of medical practice. In this little remote medical facility, the death rate from childbed fever was cut to less than one percent; a feat the world refused to acknowledge.

Dr. Semmelweis knew he had the solution to this deadly epidemic, yet women continued to die, and this drove him insane! . . .  I mean, literally, it drove him insane. In 1865, Dr. Semmelweis suffered a mental breakdown and was committed to a mental institution. Shortly after being institutionalized, Dr. Semmelweis cut his finger. A few days later, pus began to form in the cut. Within days he died at the age of 47 of the same type of infection he gave his life to prevent.

In the same year that Dr. Semmelweis died, a scientific genius named Louis Pasteur appeared on the scene. Pasture opened the eyes of the medical profession to an invisible matter called germs. He helped the world understand that microscopic germs cannot be seen or felt, but they are everywhere! Through Pasture's findings, the medical profession eventually humbled itself and admitted it was germs on their very own hands that were killing so many of their patients.

To this day, Pasture's germ theory has been hailed as one of the most important discoveries in medical history. Yet, few realize an unknown Hungarian doctor had the correct solution to this deadly epidemic several years earlier. But countless women died simply because no one wanted to accept that the simple procedure of washing hands could save a person's life.

Over 160 years have come and gone, and today the world is facing yet another critical germ warfare where approximately 19 million new cases of infection plague Americans every year. Almost half of these infections occur among15 to 24 year-olds.*

Some of these germs make it difficult or impossible for a woman to have children, while others can cause a baby to be born prematurely. Some of the germs are passed on at birth resulting in eye infections, pneumonia, blindness, brain damage and even death of the newborn. Other germs spread from person to person leaving countless men, women and teenagers struggling with chronic pain and/or recurring, painful sores. Some of the more destructive germs result in death from cancer or a destroyed immune system.

There's no need for the twenty-first century scientists to scratch their heads and wonder how this epidemic has spread out-of-control. They know exactly how it has happened. The germs are being spread by the exchange of bodily fluids and skin-to-skin contact through sexual activity.  That's why they are called sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

So how can our society protect itself from this out-of-control epidemic? The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has the answer. They clearly state:

"The most reliable way to avoid transmission of STDs is to abstain from sexual activity or be in a long-term monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner."**

A more familiar term for "a long-term monogamous relationship" is something we American's have always called marriage. This was a tried and proven method that prevented STD epidemics for generations. Then came the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s, and everything changed. The point is America had no concept of a nationwide STD epidemic or even a teen pregnancy epidemic before the Sexual Revolution. Sure, there were isolated groups such as servicemen who dealt with occasional STD outbreaks - but no national epidemic like we're experiencing today.

The solution to the epidemic 160 years ago was for doctors around the world to stop transferring germs from one patient to another by washing their hands. Likewise, the solution to today's destructive STD epidemic is to stop transferring these highly contagious germs from one sexual partner to another. Some are quick to say, "Then let's make condoms readily available for all ages." But the CDC states that:

 "Consistent and correct use of male latex condoms can reduce (though not eliminate) the risk of STD transmission. To achieve the maximum protective effect, condoms must be used both consistently and correctly. Inconsistent use can lead to STD acquisition because transmission can occur with a single act of intercourse with an infected partner... Many infected persons may be unaware of their infections because STDs are often asymptomatic or unrecognized"**

After reading the CDCs statement, two obvious problems come to mind. First, it is extremely rare to find people (young or old) who use condoms every single time they engage in sexual activity. And secondly, even if a person always uses condoms correctly, the CDC admits this will only reduce the risk of contracting STDs - not eliminate the risk. 

The point is, as long as America is relying on condoms for protection, our nation will continue to deal with an STD epidemic. The only way to eliminate the risk of STDs is to embrace the concept of saving sex for marriage and then remaining faithful to that person throughout life. But many laugh at such a concept. Others merely say it's not realistic for today's teens to postpone sexual activity. While simple solutions may be difficult accept, it doesn't mean they don't work.

Abstinence education was introduced in schools across America starting in the early 1990s. It was this new educational concept that finally put an end to a long rising trend in teen pregnancies. Since that time, teen sexual activity rates have significantly dropped along with teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates. The truth is abstinence does work!

The solution 160 years ago was in the hands of the doctors. The solution today is in the hands of each individual person. The question you must ask yourself is this: Are you going to be one of those who scoff at and reject this guaranteed protective method and then wait to see what consequences might come your way in years to come, or will you embrace this tried and proven method? The choice is yours.

Parents

1.  Where do you stand when it comes to your children having sex before marriage? Do you really care?

2.  Are you helping your children focus on a bright, exciting future and challenging them to set boundaries that will enable them to postpone sexual activity until marriage?

Family Discussion

1. According to the CDC statement:

• How should condoms be used?
• What could happen if a person didn't use a condom just one time?
• If people always use condoms correctly every time, what outcome can they expect?
• Should you feel safe if a person tells you they don't have an STD?

2. Do you hope your future spouse is committed to saving him or herself just for you or would a lackadaisical lifestyle of going from partner to partner while occasionally using condoms be okay with you? 

* http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/index.htm 

** http://www.cdc.gov/condomeffectiveness/latex.htm