Sex Madness
An ancient film describing the horrors of Syphylis, a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis.
The film shows dreary sex parties and says that one out of 10 are affected by the "dreaded social disease. In fact, Syphilis is thought to have infected 12 million people worldwide in 1999, with greater than 90% of cases in the developing world. After decreasing dramatically since the widespread availability of penicillin in the 1940s, rates of infection have increased since the turn of the millennium in many countries, often in combination with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This has been attributed partly to unsafe sexual practices among men who have sex with men, increased promiscuity, prostitution, and decreasing use of condoms.
The film describes how the disease affects the "happy institution of marriage". A young couple is affected and admitted to hospital. The "awful truth about this" is admitted to her father, that she has "become a victim". When the doctor advises to her that "your baby is Syphilitic" she cries.
A tragic but forceful film.