Many Americans have looked with horror upon the photograph of the
mutilated bodies of women. Sacred forever the bosom of his mother, and
not less sacred the body of every woman. Not content with mutilating
the bodies of Allied officers, of Belgian boys, they lifted the knife
upon the loveliness of woman. The explanation was first given by the
Germans themselves. When the Hun joins the army, he must pass his
medical examination. A few drops of blood are taken from the left arm,
and the Wassermann blood culture is developed. If free from disease,
the soldier receives a card giving him access to the camp women, who
are kept in the rear for the convenience of the German soldier. If,
however, the Wassermann test shows that the German has syphilis, the
soldier bids him report to the commanding officer. The captain tells
him plainly that he must stay away from the camp women upon peril of
his life, and that if he uses one of their girls he will be shot like
a dog. Having syphilis himself, the German will hand it on to the camp
girl, and she in turn will contaminate all the other soldiers, and that
means that the Kaiser would soon have no army. Therefore, the soldier
that has this foul disease must stay away from the camp women on peril
of his life. Under this restriction the syphilitic soldier has but one
chance, namely, to capture a Belgian or French girl; but using this
girl means contaminating her, and she in turn will contaminate the next
German using her. To save his own life, therefore, when the syphilitic
German has used a French or Belgian girl, he cuts off her breast as a
warning to the next German soldier. The girl's life weighs less than
nothing against lust or the possibility of losing his life by being
charged with the contamination of his brother German.