CBS cancels a radio address by Thomas Parran, New York Commissioner of Health, because the script includes the term, Syphilis

Soon, the Great Depression presented many problems in American life and ASHA, but ASHA had developed into a mature organization with affiliates in 36 states. ASHA was reaching thousands of people in all the states, now including African Americans. The decline of “red light districts” continued through the 1920’s, until only Nevada tolerated prostitution. However in 1928, the trend reversed and there was a dramatic increase in prostitution by 1933. To make matters worse, in 1934, Thomas Parran, M.D., New York’s Commissioner of Health was scheduled to talk about public health for the first time on CBS Radio, but the “conspiracy of silence” reappeared when CBS officials saw the word “syphilis” in his speech text. After refusing to conform to their demands of changing the text, the network replaced his speech with a musical program. Dr. Snow, ASHA’s Executive Director, responded immediately with a national letter writing campaign, but CBS defended their decision. This time the silence was short lived and once Dr. Parran was appointed U.S. Surgeon General, he used his position to focus attention on venereal disease. Dr. Parran’s writings and articles in magazine’s like Reader’s Digest, made syphilis a major public issue. After defining venereal disease as the most pressing public health problem, Dr. Parran won passage by Congress of the bill Venereal Disease Control Act of 1938. ASHA had been advocating the act for many years and the organization’s legal staff drafted the bill. It was this bill that led to the establishment of STD programs nationwide.

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