VENEREAL DISEASES.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 July 1916, Page 9

VENEREAL DISEASES.

A MENACE TO THE COUNTRY. MINISTER FOR PUULIC HEALTH SPEAKS OUT. In tlie House of Representaives 011 Wednesday, The Hon. G. W. Russell stated that during six months "illi cases of venereal diseases had been discovered amongst tlte soldiers, !)1 at Featherston and 201 at Trentham. Of those treated at Trentliam 11 wore returned soldiers. At one of tjie quarantine stations 90 soldiers who had come mostly from the camps were being held until they were cured ami could be safely returned to mix with the civil population. .Mr. Russell added that the certainty was that the men in camp were no worse than the men in the civilian population. But the men in camp were medically examined and the others were not. He had only lifted a comer of the veil hiding the hideous cancer than was eating into the body politic. Nor was New Zealand any worse than any other country. Probably, owing to the general good health of the people, it was a great deal better than other civilised countries. The C.D. Act had been on the statute book for a number of years, and hail been in operation in the city of Cliristchurch for some time. Women who were known to be prostitutes were required to submit themselves regularly for medical examination, and when they were found to be diseased they were put into a. Lock 'hospital until they were cured. He bad been informed that while the Act was in force a great improvement took place in the health of the community. Public opinion, however, was against a. law so liable to abuse, and it was suspended and finally taken oil' the statute book. Hut he had no intention of re-introducing the C.I). Act. (Hear, hear!) He thought, however, that the duty was cast upon Parliament to take steps by which the evils of the venereal disease might be combated and by which the women of that class, if found to be diseased, should be held under the control by the State until cured. He saw no reason why persons sull'ering from measles, fevers or smallpox should be segregated while those sull'ering from such fearful diseases were allowed at large. Men should be treated on exactly the same lines, if found to be suffering from those diseases. (Hear, hear!)

THE AWFIX RED SCOUMiE. In 1914 the deaths from syphilis in New Zealand numbered 10; from other venereal diseases the deaths numbered 5; the deaths from locomotor taxia, 10; and the deaths from general paralysis of the insane, 44; a total of 74 deaths from venereal diseases and resulting diseases. Those figures, however, expressed only a small part of the misery and horror caused by such diseases. "The awful red scourge,'' as he might, call it, was not spread by sexual intercourse alone. The lives of many a pure woman and many an innocent child had been utterly ruined by a disease for which they were in no way responsible. He had received resolutions from women's associations protesting against the disease being treated with by regulations. It was, however, a question too complicated for legislation, and he asked the people to trust the combined wisdom of the police, the health officers, and the members of the National Cabinet, who liad as high a respect for New Zealand womanhood, including their own wives and daughters, as could be looked for in the country. (Hear, hear!) Others, again, protested against any action being taken by Parliament that would create a sense of false security, causing young men to think they could sin with impunity. It was not his wish that any sucli false sense of security should be given. Hut they had to reeoginse that, as he had already stated, the disease was transmitted by many other means than sexual intercourse; that there were very many innocent sufferers from it, and for their sakes, if not for the sake of those who were innocent, every endeavor must be made to stamp out the disease. (Hear, hear! J

"WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?" The most important question for the House to consider was, "What .should be done in this country';'' He did not propose anything in the way of a renewal of the C.D. Act. He proposed, towever, to take power by regulations and that the one-woman brothels should be placed on the same footing as the brothel with more than one woman inmate. The present law required at least two women residing in one house to constitute the place a brothel, but by the by-laws of Auckland and Wellington tlie one-woman brothel came under the law, and he proposed to make it the law of the Dominion. In the second place he would provide that every woman who was proved to be leading an immoral life, on a charge of vagrancy should be subject to medical inspection, and if found to be diseased should be detained until cured. Whether she should afterwards be sent to a reformatory was a matter for consideration later on. He would provide, also, that every man proved to be a vagrant, in consorting with sucli women, should be examined, and if found to be suffering from any of these diseases should likewise be held until cured. Then there was the question of the casual or clandestine prostitute. That class was undoubtedly far more numerous than those who had given their lives up to immoral courses. How to reach them and bring them under tile healing power of medical science was a problem not yet solved. British medical men were opposed to making venereal diseases notifiable, though they were notifiable for 33 per eent. of the population of England and Wales. But he was satisfied that any attempt to make them notifiable in New Zealand would drive the diseases underground, which was the very thing they desired to avoid. (Hear, hear).

THE COURSE TO BE FOLLOWED. lie thought, therefore, that the course to be pursued should be on the following lines:—First, that it should be made a criminal offence for any person but a properly qualified medical practitioner to treat venereal diseases. (Hear, hear!) That should have the effect of preventing quacks or chemists diagnosing_or treating such diseases. He could not stress too .strongly the importance of early treatment, and of the principle that in such serious matters involving the health of men and women and the future of the race, quacks and unqualified persona should not be allowed to interfere. He advocated, therefore, the establishing of clinics for the treatment of venereal diseases; but not in separate institutions, for that would prevent people going to them for treatment,

as the mark of shame would bo placed upon everyone who was seen to approach the building night or day. (Hear, hear!) The only way was for the diseases to be treated at the ordinary hospitals as one of the ordinary diseases for the treatment of which they were responsible, lie should, therefore, ask the House to authorise him to pay a subsidy up to 75 per cent., instead of 50 per cent., to hospital boards for the treatment of such cases. If possible, his policy would be female doctors for women and male doctors for men at these institutions; and he held that to be effective the institutions should be open both day and night in order to give opportunity and facility for those in doubt as to their state to go for treatment.

AX EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN. Another important matter was an educational campaign throughout the country. (Hear, hear!). With this end in view he proposed to print from the report of the British Royal Commission the descriptions in all their liiileouß nakedness of the results of venereal disease. That would be printed and circulated to institutions throughout the country in order that young people might see the tremendous risks they run in placing themselves in what he might call "the danger zone." lie proposed, also, to have lectures delivered by both made and female doctors for both sexes to give information as to the danger of promiscuous sexual intercourse, and said that, where necessary, they might be induced to go to the hospitals for treatment. He hoped that he might look to the bishops and to the clergy of all denominations, and to the teachers in all their schools, and the professors in the universities to help in that work; and he thought that in the training colleges" the future teachers should be instructed so that they might be able to instruct the children in their turn. Doctors, too, should hand cards of instruction and warning to their patients, and he would be pleased to print all that might be required and place them at the disposal of any medical men who asked for them. He trusted, too, that the press would be only too glad to place at the disposal of the Government space for dealing with the question of that dread disease.

POWERS TO 111-: TAKEN. Further, he proposed to take power, as was already done in the United States of America, to prevent the employment of those infected with syphilis in food-liandling industries, especially in bakeries, ice-cream shops and meat shops; and lie would consider whether provision should not also be included to prevent the disease being communicated in barber's shops. In some States ol America a certificate that the parties were not suffering from a communicable form of disease was required before a marriage license was issued; but he did not think that New Zealand mould go as far as seven States had done in interdicting the marriage of those suffering from such communicable diseases. In Ohio, the sterilisation of people afflicted with syphilis was required. He cast no reflection on the men in camp, because the conditions under which they were living enabled their condition in regard to the disease to be known. They were probably healthier than, or quite as good as, the same number of civilians; so the disease was spreading itself throughout the country.

not to be Trifled with. He called upon the House to recognise that that great matter was not to tie trilled with. He would not allow any questions of delicacy to close his mouth in regard to these matters. The only way to effectively deal with the problem was to ta'ke tho gloves off, and, instead of hiding their heads in the sand like so many ostriches, face it, and try to grasp the trouble and deal with it. Every suggestion that could be made to help the Government in coining to a wise decision on the matter would be considered carefully. It was a duty they owed to themselves, and, above all, to the unborn children of the country, to do tlieir best to stamp the disease out. (Hear, bear). He wished to assure the House and tiie country in regard to the disease being brought to New Zealand from Galipoli, Egypt and other places, that very careful examination was made on every troopship, and in every case where a man was a venereal patient lie was sent into quarantine until such time as the medical authorities were sure that there was no danger of any Eastern forms of such diseases being at large. Some might have, escaped. There were twelve returned soldiers in camp found to be suffering from venereal diseases, but they might have contracted them since their return. He was assured, however, that there were 110 eases at large of any of the grosser and more horrible forms of the disease that afilicted the East. He begged to assure the House, and, above all, the women of the country, that it would be his desire, while combating the disease, to uphold the sacredness of the womenfolk of Xew Zealand. (Hear, hear!) Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) congratulated the two Ministers who had introduced the debate. They might almost be said to be lighthouses of knowledge in an unenlightened world.

•'HOUSE -SHOULD HESITATE." Mr. Hornsby thought the House should hesitate before it gave the powers sought in the Bill. There was a way to deal with the evil, but not by the degradation of women. It was the notification of disease. Let every medical man who dealt with a male prostitute notify the occurrence of disease. Mr. Russell: Tliey will not notify. Mr. Hornsby: Then let any offender who was discovered be struck off the rolls. Dr. 11. T. J. Thackcr (Christchurcli East) remarked that venereal disease was a greater Hun in the midst of the people than alcohol. Alcohol was sometimes bad, sometimes good, often better, If anti-shouting were carried many caterers for race gatherings, etc., would be ruined. They would be entitled to compensation. As to alcohol in relation to the soldier, the House need not go beyond the emphatic advice of Commander Potter. He said that if the hotels were closed at 0 p.m. there must be "wet" canteens. If the Minister for Health did all he promised in regard to venereal disease he would do more for the Dominion than any predecessor. He (Dr. Thackcr) favored education rather, than restrictive legislation. Physiology and anatomy should be taught fully in the primary schools, and the pupils would soon learn the. character of the blight they must beware of. Two-thirds oi the young men who went to destruction suffered from quacks—human parasites—and unscientific treatment. IE that horrible war resulted in the proper tackling and the stamping out of such disease, their brave boys would not have died in vain.