VENEREAL DISEASE.
REGULATIONS DRAFTED. (SriCIAL TO "the tress.") WELLINGTON, July o. In his speech in "tlie- Legislative Council during the Address-in-Reply d<s- - tho 'Hon. tV." H. Triggs said the revelations before the Venereal Diseases Committee were a great shock to most people. They were certainly of an appalling nature. A Bill dealing with the question was to have been brought before Parliament but lor the illness of the late Prime Minister. Mr Masscy had been impressed with the importance'of the recommendations brought forward 1 by the Committee, and at ius instigation regulations had been framed and approved by the Board of Health. He hoped they would soon be gazetted and brought into effect. He (Mr Triggs) had considered the regulations verv carefully, and so far as lie could see • the only persons who would have any objections to them would be thoso who had been unfortunate enough . to contract tlio disease and who were utterly careless to the danger thc> threatened to the rest of the community. Clinics and the present go-as-you-please methods would not meet the difficulty. Christcliurch. had one of the best clinics in New Zealand, and yet there were no fewer tliau 300 Ireslr cases there every year. In the Christcliurch clinic it was found that the great majority of the patients who attended there, the women especially, left as soon as tho 'urgent symptoms had been relieved and refused to continue until they cecsed to be a danger to the community. Christ-church was unique in that it had engaged a lady of great lact and ability as a health patrol. She devoted the whole of her timo in endeavouring to persundo unicrxunate jrirls and wonicn to undergo treatment. in the first place, and to continue trcP.tipent until they were cured. She met with most "disheartening results. Patients, refused to go; they evaded her, they lied to her, and they insulted her. That was the reward she got for acting in their interests. The reason was thn.t they knew she hud no ponei at her back to compel them to do what, was in their interests as well as tho interests of 1 tho public health. The* regulations he had spoken ot would, however, to some extent meet the difficulty. They provided that men and women sufferers who were under modioli treatment must continue under treatment until they wore 'no longer in an infective condition. They could leavo their medical man and go to a clinic where t.liej-would be treated lree of charge, but they would have to undergo continuous treatment. If a patient refused to go on with the treatment it would "bo tlic duty of tho <!<>ctor to refer the matter to the DircetnrCJeneral .in strict., confidence. If the person could prove n cure there was an end of it, but in cases where, the patient was recalcitrant there was provision to compel the continuation of tho treatment until lie or she is no longer a menace to tho community. There was nothing harsh in that. There was also a regulation providing that if the Director-General had reason to believe that a person was suffering from the disease in a communicable form, he could call upon such person to furnish a medical certificate as to the state of his health in relation to the disease.
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Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18426, 6 July 1925, Page 6
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550VENEREAL DISEASE. Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18426, 6 July 1925, Page 6
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