VENEREAL DISEASES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1747, 1 November 1917, Page 3

VENEREAL DISEASES.

OYER 15,500 CASES IN • TWO YEARS. Interesting figures as to the prevalence of venereal diseases in New Zealand were quoted by the Hon. Colonel W. E. Collins in the Legislative Council on Friday afternoon during a discussion on the Social Hygiene Bill. He made a strong plea for compulsory notification. A committee of doctors had been set up to report on the disease at the last conference in Auckland. Returns furnished by 300 doctors out of the 600 in New Zealand showed that in two years 1,288 cases of primary syphilis had been attended and 443 cases of secondary syphilis and, with other cases, a total of 141 eases of syphilis had been attended in two years. As only half of the doctors had attended the cases quoted, it could be said that 3,882 cases of syphilis had been treated in two years. Gonorrhea was four times more prevalent than syphilis, so it could be said that 15,524 cases of venereal diseases had occurred in New Zealand in two years. This, thought Colonel Collins, was a low estimate. Then, again, these figures would be greatly increased by war time. This demonstrated the great necessity for dealing effectively with the disease. Doctors did not know, however, where they were as to the number of cases. This was because there was no notification. Colonel Collins also quoted figures from the medical examination by the special boards of balloted men. Up till June, 1917, out of 40,733 men examined there were 550 eases of venereal diseases.

During twelve months at the Wellington Hospital, 70 venereal eases had been treated, and 36 in the out-patients’ department. The latter total was incomplete.