Archives West Finding Aid

The Social Hygiene Society of Portland, Oregon was established in 1911, at the urging of the Young Men's Christian Association, to limit the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and to combat "social vices" such as prostitution, gambling, and childhood immorality. The organization, which was renamed the Oregon Social Hygiene Society in 1913, promoted physical fitness, especially among young people, and exposed medical quackery. It also helped to organize local promotion committees in cities and towns around Oregon. The group focused on educational activities such as lectures, classes, and presentations to school groups, as well as publications, exhibits, government lobbying, and assistance with law enforcement. Committees included: public education, school cooperation, publication, social hygiene, exhibits, social evil, legislation, and quackery. Much of the funding for the organization came from a trust fund established by Dr. E. C. Brown. Its operations were later assumed by the University of Oregon.

Dr. Fred B. Messing was executive secretary of the Oregon Social Hygiene Society from 1929 to 1941. He was born in North Tonawanda, New York, around 1876, and he held a Ph.D. in physical education. Much of his early career was spent working with the YMCA, lecturing on health and sex education to schools, civic organizations, and churches. From 1919 to 1922, he and his wife, Frances, lived in Poland, where Messing directed physical education for the Polish government. After living in Portland for most of his later life, he moved to Chehalis, Washington, where he died in 1960.