sexual deviation.” The doctor rocked back and forth in his chair. His glasses slid down onto his nose. Carl felt suddenly unconfortable.
” We regard it as a misfortune. . . a sickness. . . certanly nothing to be censored or uh sanctioned any more than say. . .tubercolosis. . . Yes,” he repeated firmly as if Carl had raised an objection. . . “Tuberculosis. On the other hand you can readily see that any illness imposes certain, should we say obligations , certain necessities of a prophylactic nature on the authorities concerned with public health, such necessities to be imposed, needless to say, with a minimum individual who has, through no fault of his own, become uh infected. . .
That is no say, of course, the minimum hardship compatible with adequate protection of other individuals who are not so infected. . . We do not find obligatory vaccination for smallpox an unreasonable measure. . .I am sure you will agree that individuals infected with hurumph what French call ‘Les maladies galantes’ heh heh heh should be compelled to undergo treatment if they do not report voluntarily.”
The doctor went on chuckling and rocking in his chair like a mechanical toy. . .Carl realized that he was expected to say something.
“That seems reasonable,” he said.
The doctor stopped chuckling. He was suddendly motionless. “Now get back to this uh matter of sexual deviation. Frankly we don’t pretend to understand-at least not completely-why some men and women prefer the uh sexual company of their own sex.We do know