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156 Brieux
He wants to secure the signature of the doctor as
evidence in the divorce sought by his daughter.
Doctor. I regret that I am unable to furnish you
with such a certificate. . . . The rule of professional
secrecy is absolute. And I may add that even were I
free, I should refuse your request. I should regret hav
ing helped you to obtain a divorce. It would be in your
daughter s own interest that I should refuse. You ask
me for a certificate in order to prove to the court that
your son-in-law has contracted syphilis? You do not
consider that in doing so you will publicly acknowledge
that your daughter has been exposed to the infection.
Do you suppose that after that your daughter is likely to
find a second husband ? . . . Do you think that this poor
little thing has not been unlucky enough in her start in
life? She has been blighted physically. You wish be
sides indelibly to stamp her with the legal proof of con
genital syphilis.
Loche. Then what am I to do?
Doctor. Forgive. . . . When the marriage was pro
posed you doubtless made inquiries concerning your
future son-in-law s income; you investigated his securi
ties; you satisfied yourself as to his character. You only
omitted one point, but it was the most important of all:
you made no inquiries concerning his health.
Loche. No, I did not do that. It is not the cus
tom. ... I think a law should be passed.
Doctor. No, no! We want no new laws. There
are too many already. All that is needed is for people
to understand the nature of this disease rather better.
It would soon become the custom for a man who pro-
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