***SPOILERS*** Hard hitting educational drama about the scourge of syphilis that ravaged the country back in the early 1940's and what was done to stop it. Dr.Ed Cavanaugh gets appointed by the State Broad of Health to find out what's causing scores of men in a local bustling industrial town that's vital, in manufacturing combat planes and bombers, for the war effort as well as US servicemen from a nearby military base to come down with the disease.
The story centers around lovebirds local girl Betty James and her boyfriend factory worker Bill Thorne who plans to soon get married. But Bill has a deep dark secret that he's keeping from Betty about him having spent time with hookers after work at the notorious Owls Nest Bar outside of town. Bill is afraid that he contracted syphilis and will infect Betty with it after they get married. As it turned out Bill by getting tested did indeed contract the disease and sadly has to calls the marriage plans off not telling Betty the real reason for his decision!
As Dr.Cavanaugh finds out that the Owls Nest is run by gangster Nick Scaturo who's shipping hookers from all over the state to work there. It's now a race against time for Dr. Cavanaugh to get the place closed down before more innocent men as well as women, like Betty, end up getting infected with the disease! While all this is going on a desperate Bill Thorne seeks help for his illness and his marriage to Betty by going to this quack Doctor Henry Hobson who claims he can cure Bill of his syphilis in less then three months for a cool $500.00: Bill's entire life savings! This leads up to be a double tragedy for with Bill on him feeling that he's cured from the disease marring Betty and getting her pregnant as well as giving the innocent and unsuspecting girl syphilis as well!
***SPOILERS**** Things go from bad to much worse for Bill and Betty with an angry Bill now good and drunk goes to see the quack Doctor Hobson at his office and during a heated exchange with him, with Hobson pulling a gun on him, bops Hobson over the head with a beer bottle killing him. Now facing life behind bars or even the death penalty Bill is resigned to his fate not bothering to even try to defend himself in a court of law. It's local D.A Benton who in the end gets Bill off the hook by proving what he did in killing Hobson was in self defense as well as the late Dr.Hobson practicing medicine without a license. Now with all the evidence he needs in Bill contracting syphilis from one of Scaturo's hookers, and giving it to his wife Betty, Dr.Cavanaugh has the police raid the Owls Nest and finally put it and Scaturo out of business for good! But not after scores of man and women in and around town ended up getting infected with the disease by patronizing the place!
P.S The happy ending to all this is that with proper modern medical care and treatment both Bill & Betty, as well as their baby, were restored back to health. But heaven only knows how many of those infected with the disease who due to being kept in the dark, by the local as well as national media, and afraid of the social stigma that it syphilis represents, like being infected with leprosy, ended up dead or mentally damaged because of not trying, like Bill & Betty, to seek help.
The story centers around lovebirds local girl Betty James and her boyfriend factory worker Bill Thorne who plans to soon get married. But Bill has a deep dark secret that he's keeping from Betty about him having spent time with hookers after work at the notorious Owls Nest Bar outside of town. Bill is afraid that he contracted syphilis and will infect Betty with it after they get married. As it turned out Bill by getting tested did indeed contract the disease and sadly has to calls the marriage plans off not telling Betty the real reason for his decision!
As Dr.Cavanaugh finds out that the Owls Nest is run by gangster Nick Scaturo who's shipping hookers from all over the state to work there. It's now a race against time for Dr. Cavanaugh to get the place closed down before more innocent men as well as women, like Betty, end up getting infected with the disease! While all this is going on a desperate Bill Thorne seeks help for his illness and his marriage to Betty by going to this quack Doctor Henry Hobson who claims he can cure Bill of his syphilis in less then three months for a cool $500.00: Bill's entire life savings! This leads up to be a double tragedy for with Bill on him feeling that he's cured from the disease marring Betty and getting her pregnant as well as giving the innocent and unsuspecting girl syphilis as well!
***SPOILERS**** Things go from bad to much worse for Bill and Betty with an angry Bill now good and drunk goes to see the quack Doctor Hobson at his office and during a heated exchange with him, with Hobson pulling a gun on him, bops Hobson over the head with a beer bottle killing him. Now facing life behind bars or even the death penalty Bill is resigned to his fate not bothering to even try to defend himself in a court of law. It's local D.A Benton who in the end gets Bill off the hook by proving what he did in killing Hobson was in self defense as well as the late Dr.Hobson practicing medicine without a license. Now with all the evidence he needs in Bill contracting syphilis from one of Scaturo's hookers, and giving it to his wife Betty, Dr.Cavanaugh has the police raid the Owls Nest and finally put it and Scaturo out of business for good! But not after scores of man and women in and around town ended up getting infected with the disease by patronizing the place!
P.S The happy ending to all this is that with proper modern medical care and treatment both Bill & Betty, as well as their baby, were restored back to health. But heaven only knows how many of those infected with the disease who due to being kept in the dark, by the local as well as national media, and afraid of the social stigma that it syphilis represents, like being infected with leprosy, ended up dead or mentally damaged because of not trying, like Bill & Betty, to seek help.