A CRITICISM OF DR FINDLAY'S PROPOSALS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 913, 5 September 1910, Page 5

A CRITICISM OF DR FINDLAY'S PROPOSALS.

;/ATTITUDE OF-;THE,W;O.T.U. ' Wo.have received .the following,statement.; ft-cm; the President and Superintondoh't;of.Department of tho Women's Christian. Temperance Union:— .. ;. ■ Tho Legal and Parliamentary Department, of. tho New Zealand .Women's. .Christian TcmperanceUnion regrets tho proposed introduction by Dr. Findlay of penal: clauses under the .Public Health Act, '1908; with'regard to -sp'ecial contagious diseases. ,lt appears to the .department that a schbme.of the kind proposed contains.' elements L likely to de-. feat its'.own object, -and /endanger/ rather than protect, tho public health. .This department'believes that there' are only two •spundVliiies'.uppri- which /to proceed.to combat the;undoubted ovils of syphilis,:yiz- ■•— : ' .-V.'■'.'/.

, (1) The Education of the Young. v This; was .strongly advocated.' by ■ the recent .International Conference'held at Brussels. This conference, was .composed'of some. 360, members: of 33 nationalities.: Of these,. 107 were Goyerrinient delegates representing 29,. different countries,'''mostly European,' but including the United States,-'".' Persia, and Japan.: Our own Wax. Office!-anid the India Office weire represented, together with the Royal. College of Sur- . geons; .'the', Irish Collge of Surgeons; :and''-''.the . British Medical Association. Out of. the entire number, ■ 295' ; were doctors, and a largonuihber of these 'held',. public, posts , in the ; '.'Service of Health,',' or as.:professors.'of the special■■; subject.. The. 65.• non-medical :members included ! Ministers of State,heads of Police or Health, Departments, delegates of municipalities, legal authorities and professors, and . a few! other.- persons individually invited on. the: ground of special competence, !.nd representing, for the most part, he'.sociological side of the- subject; among, these were several .women. To show what is being done to combat this disease in those countries whore, they are supposed to manage these.things ' better than in ' England, it, may ; bo pointed out .that Dr. Boureau, of Paris, gives public lectures on the subject every year to students and to. working men. Professor'. Neisser; has' a. full course every year for the university, students generally, each of whom also receives on matriculation a notice warning' him of the dangers attending an irregular life, and putting before him tho moral aspects of the question. The Minister of Education had recommended 'that simitar measures should bo taken in all the Prussian Universities. ■ ■ Professors Fournier, Troisfountaines and others proposed, or had already adopted, a system whereby to diffuse information, thus affording "protection by knowledge." Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson, tho English specialist, who! attended as one of the representatives of tho, Royal College of Surgeons, - and whoso European reputation made him the object of. tho-most respectful attention, advised that young men ■ in public schools and colleges should bo warned and instructed, and tho instruction should inchulo moral considerations and rospect for tho purity of women. _ A _ diminution of vico would bring with it a diminution of disease. With regard to men in the a-rmv, Hutoliinsoni said that if tho , matter wore,put before the, men in a reasonable way, ho was convinced that they would respond, and that would do more to diminish disease than all tho regulation xha-t could be devised. This de-

■ pairtmcnt suggests that the Education Department of New Zealand should p re the services of specialists to educate the young people in our. schools and universities by means of scientific teaching concerning the functions of their bodies, tho dangers consequent, oh tho. misuse of them, and the value of healthful' self-control. This course has not yet been tried in, New Zealand, and ' the Legal and Parliamentary Department of the New Zealand Women's Christian Temperance "Union considers that in view of tho statements' of such eminent specialists as a-re above quoted, it should bo given a'fair trial. Tho department is convinced. that this is much the most hopeful'method'ofvdeal-. ing' with "the evil,, for it is a question of, divided opinion whether, once the disease has. been contracted, any subso-. quent treatment can . cure the victim, ', or remove tho danger; to the community. The second lino is:— '.",' -.--." (2) The Absolutely Free Treatment" of Every Patient Suffering from any Form of this Disease. '~".'.'. , Such treatment can only be carried out'where'the patient cheerfully and freely offers him .or herself for -treatment, and both on the Continent.of Europe and in England this' has been effected only where the patients have been convinced'that they are perfectly free to come ,aiid go. At the '■ recent Brussels .Conference, several, speakers laid stress on the absence of compulsory .detention as an essential .of voluntary applications for . treatment. Dr. Revihs instanced the. case of tho .Glasgow Infirmary,' where for some, years patients of this.kind were.required on, entering to sign a promise to remain until. discharged; It was found'"• that, patients refused to. sign, and. presently to come at all, and the rule' had to'.be 'rescinded;;' The fear of 'compulsory .detention ; ,had been fatal to success.. of the scheme everywhere. :,Dr. Bourea-u said that there was ~'a philanthropic society in-Paris which maintained a,free, dispensary ' for these ■ patients. ;■• "The : clandestines ■..whom-'-"the; police; fail: to reach come to us," 'he' said.-.; :','At: first they feared -we would deteiri'.them, but now they' come freely,i andSoften;'bring their companions.";".' Thefaet.lhat pro-\ minent.medical men-of high,'standing: declare emphatically that, not" notify-, all ..cases, no matter ■■.what'': the law; may- provide, 'is'in,itself a.proof'of the- uselessness : of-the -proposed .legi-s-' lation.- : /;:. ; "-• • ■;. ' .-■":-'/'-- : '■; .' '■;•• Signed— '-.'.,■ '.■'■'■.'. •;'.//'.'';V.'!.' : -H : ..-"'■','• :'■'.' ', FANNY-COLE, 1 -President.';' M." B. LOVELL SMITH, 'Superintend--. ;'.:' rent, of :Department., ; i''"r: ;: ;'' :