A NATIONAL PERIL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXV, Issue 16486, 27 February 1914, Page 5

A NATIONAL PERIL.

DR FENWICK'S DECLARATION

A STATEMENT RESENTED BY CHEMISTS. I “ Ninety per cent of men suffering from syphilis go to chemists and do not get proper treatment. The result is that when they go to a medical man afterwards things have gone too far,” said Dr Fenwick at the Hospital Board meeting on Wednesday. | This- statement has been the subject of complaints by the .Hawke’s Bay Chemists’ Association, which has forwarded the following telegram:— ‘' Members Hawke’s Bay Chemists’ Association take strong exception to remarks by Dr Fenwick. Every syphilis subject strongly urged to seek medical advioe at once.” j LOCAL VIEWS. I There is no Chemists’ Association in Christchurch, but' yesterday a “Lyttelton Times” reporter interviewed several leading chemists. One man, who has been in business for a number of years, stated that chemists sometimes treated 1 cases that were in very early stages, ; but where the disease was in a serious form the victims were always advised to go to doctors. There were, of course, chemists who had no other desire than the receipt of money, and others who publicly announced that they could effect cures. The whole trouble so far | as the chemists were concerned was j with the men who were not legitimate | practitioners. Another chemist stated that many ! men who came to him for treatment I would, not go to doctors and seemed to , fear publicity. He always advised j them to obtain medical advice, I but if they refused to go he did what i lie could for them. In advanced cases, however, he always impressed on the individual that medical attention was essential. DR THACKER’S OPINION.

“The greatest trouble,” said Dr Thacker, “is with the quacks and herbalists who are not regular chemists, but set themselves up as able to euro venereal diseases. It is essential in these cases that there should bo an early diagnosis and early treatment, and if time is lost with men who cannot treat the trouble properly the damage clone is enormous. < “ The great difficulty is that few people seem to grasp the far-reaching effects of this great ‘ unmentionable disease.’ The disease is not confined to the primary cases. There is secondary contagion and it runs through the whole scope of the progeny, up to goodness knows how many generations. I havo treated many cases, and often parents bring children to me to ask the meaning of certain marks on their children. In almost every instance I tell them it is a tainted ancestor who lived probably from sixty to a hundred years ago. the disease has been traced through five and six generations, and it,,is absolutely certain that two-thirds, of the abdominal operations on women are due to it''either directly or indirectly. Stamp out die venereal trouble and you will do away with many of the other diseases, cancer and tuberculosis among them, because a man or woman who has once suffered from a venereal disease cannot be considered normal with respect to any other disease.

" A circular from the Medical Congress in Auckland asked .doctors to.,'/state what. they, thought were the causes of the spread of venereal disease. I had no hesitation in saying that it was due largely to the moving population. People, who are constitutionally strong and may not show the effects of syphilis have still the power of transmitting the disease. Another cause I mentioned was-ignorance. “ There are chemists who announce fhat-.v/iheycarijp • cure "the/ disease,,; hut they, do not know the. incidence of the disease, and do not trouble to worn victims about their’diet. . I had one , young man in to see me , who had been told , by a chemist to drink gin. Alcohol and tobacco should be forbidden at once, and unless doctors can warn these men early they drown their sorrow in drink. Alcohol in the system nullifies the effects of the cures for syphilis, and for this reason the Prohibition Party' deserves the support of the public. If alcohol was removed from the community a great step would be taken towards combating the disease. The community would benefit by the removal of alcohol even if the sellers of it lost money.

1 “ The doctors will do the work as :Dr Fenwick has said. The ••great-' esi aontials in' treating the disease are | delicacy in grappling with the problem, publicity thrown on the sources of the contamination and accuracy in diagnosis. This accuracy is made possible by • experience with these eases, and if there is a ward established where doctors will be able to treat patients without there being any danger of the unfortunates’ names being made public, the doctors will be able to do big work, which in the interests of the nation is more urgently wanted than air the fuss about cancer, and tuberculosis.”