Nicolae Paulescu despre cauzele bolilor venerice

Abstract

Sexually transmitted diseases have had a devastating effect in human history. The transformation of this topic from a taboo to a preoccupation of the health authorities at the beginning of the 20th century was a significant advance that has contributed to preventive health services. The issue has been approached in Romania in many ways. We have recently discovered a Memorandum prepared by Nicolae Paulescu in 1926 in response to a circular letter through which Dr. I. Lupas, the Minister of Health, was requesting advice regarding the prevention of sexually transmitted disorders. This memorandum has not been discussed by those who have commented up to now on the work of Nicolae Paulescu, Professor of Physiology at the School of Medicine in Bucharest and one of the best known Romanian physicians. The analysis of the Memorandum indicates that Nicolae Paulescu identified 6 causes for the rapid spread of sexually transmitted diseases in Romania: the obligatory military service, the schools and industrial workshops, the marriage, the knowing contamination, the prostitution and the bribery. In Paulescu’s professional opinion, one of the ethnic groups populating Romania was involved, directly or indirectly, in no less than 4 of these 6 main causes of morbidity associated with sexually transmitted diseases. In this communication we will present the data used by Nicolae Paulescu to reach these conclusions and discuss the biases and limitations of his approach in the scientific and political context of his time.