tangents

news & views

by del mcintire

This is the 78th time "tangents" has appeared in ONE Magazine. The first 57 columns were banged out by its originator, and many say its most excellent craftsman, brother dal. Dal did his last column in the December, 1960 issue. From that time on, I have attempted in my own way and as often as possible to cover as much of the news as I was able. But now like bro. dal who in the May, 1960 issue complained of the hopelessly mounting pile of clippings and news reports and the terrific amount of work required to put this column together, I too am weary of the struggle and will take a rest, leaving the rolling of "tangents" through the typewriter to brother sal who has so ably shouldered the burden of producing the column for many issues this past year.

"Tangents" feature has always seemed worthwhile to us despite the labor involved. Reader response has been good, and we have assumed that the column serves a useful purpose. For reasons of determining its future, we invite readers to comment. MORAL DILEMMA

Venereal disease is to be con-

sidered a moral problem as well as a health problem especially where it concerns the homosexual, and its rising incidence throughout the nation is having repercussions in medical, religious and school groups. "Privately all physicians recognize venereal disease as constituting a moral dilemma" says Dr. T. J. Albert of the Public Health Service at the county level who has addressed Dionysus (new SoCal organization) and met with directors of ONE.

"But when a patient comes in to our offices or to his private physician, he generally doesn't want a long lecture about his morals or how he should lead his life," Dr. Albert pointed out. As part of the program of getting the homosexual to turn himself in for treatment, public health officials make no attempt to lecture this class of patient on anything but the medical aspects of their cases no matter how the doctor may feel privately.

"To lecture or point a finger of shame has, in the past, driven persons who need medical care right out of our clinics," Dr. Albert continued. All physicians agree that cleaning up venereal disease is primarily a problem of medical nature, but because venereal disease