The Secret Enemy

The exact date of this episode is unknown. We've filled in the date above with a placeholder. What we actually have on record is: 1949-uu-uu.

"The Secret Enemy" is about train engineer Casey Smith, who is concerned that his wife, Myra, is unfaithful. Casey and a coworker go to the Smiths' home and find Myra is not there. When Myra returns home, she tells Casey that she is having fun when he is not there and that she is leaving him. The narrator states that while Casey does not know it, he has contracted syphilis. Casey continues to work as an engineer while the narrator describes what can happen if the syphilis is not cured. But the condition begins to affect Casey's ability to operate the train. After arriving home from a train trip, a health department employee is there. Casey is informed that his wife has been hospitalized due to syphilis and that he should be tested. He is asked by the health department employee about symptoms he may have had, and Casey describes those symptoms. Casey is assured that the condition can be cured. The narrator concludes the program by referring to syphilis as the secret enemy.

[Description adapted from Alan J. Sofalvi, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1196133.pdf]

WNYC archives id: 92545