Renegotiating French Masculinity: Medicine and Venereal Disease during the Great War

This article traces belligerent policies toward venereal disease (VD) on the fighting and home fronts with a focus on France and since 1917 the United States. VD rates and treatment facilities varied among the warring parties, depending on geography and strategy, as well as economic, national, and social differences. The militaries’ goal in treating VD was the speedy return of as many soldiers as possible to service. The great wartime spread of VD among military personnel and civilians also affected the permeability of the home and fighting fronts. The French and American approach to this issues were quite different. The American system regulated soldiers’ sexuality and punished them for contracting venereal disease, which the French were not willing to do, they focused more on prevention and treatment.