V.D. COMMITTEE

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 270, 10 August 1922, Page 5

V.D. COMMITTEE

A DREAD DISEASE HOW TO COMBAT IT ( MEDICAL AND OTHER EVIDENCE The Health Committee which has been appointed to inquire into the problem of venereal disease, with a view to finding some means of combating it, continued its sittings yesterday, when the evidence of. Mr. John Caughloy, Director of Education, and Dr. W. E. Collins, M.L.C., was taken. Dr. Collins’s evidence was taken first. Ho prefaced his remarks by a statement made by Sir G. Nowman, Chief Officer of Health in England, and repeated recently by the Hon. C. JParr .(Minister of Health), to the effect that 90 per cent; of the diseases found in hospitals are due to preventable causes. * Svphilis and gonorrhoea, said Dr. Collins, were responsible for a very large number of these diseases. Syphilis could, in its later stages, simulate almost any disease. Eighty per cent, of all operations upon women for diseases of the uterus were caused by gonorrhoea. It was the cause of 20 per cent, of all cases of blindness. Eighty per 'cent, of men in the large pities, of America were said to have had gonorrhoea once or several times. Thirty to fifty per, cent, of all childless marriages were directly attributable to gonorrhoea. Fifty per cent, of | women infected by it were sterile. Twenty per cent, of all cases of deafness were said to be duo to syphilis. Every case of general paralysis of the insane was due to syphilis. At the present time there were in our mental hospitals, 48 meh and . two women suffering from this disease.. ■ Almost every case of loee motor ataxia was due to syphilis. He referred to a statement made by Major H- C. French, R.A.M.C., a well-known authority and specialist on venereal diseases, that these diseases, do not remain with the offender, but are communicated to innocent people. He also referred ,-to Professor Fourney, who said that “venereal disease was the principal cause of the depopulation of France.”' So far as New Zealand was concerned, continued Dr- Collins, information received was practically unanimous on the point that these diseases were introduced ir to this country from overseas, , Australia, especially Sydney, being,most, commonly mentioned. Method of Fighting the Disease. As a means of combating the disease,’ Dr. Collins made the following suggestions. ‘ 1. Education in the schools • under the control of the Board of Health. Children, of both sexes should receive along with their Visual primary course instruction in elementary botany, momentary biology, and elementary hy.Riene, ‘and each year some addition should be made in the curriculum, so .that the child shall know how the living cell ■ reproduces itself in plants, etc. ’ At the age of fourteen both boys and, girls should commence . a short course of lessons in sbx hygiene, the boys to be taught by mi n ancFthe nirls bv women. In the last year of school life lessons should be given in the nature 'of contagious diseases, the methods bv which they spread from one to another, and the namqs of these diseases. These lessons should also be given by men to the boys and by wo-' men to the girls. V 2. Propaganda work throughout the i Dominion by means of pamphlets, ,films. 1 etc. , .. , ~ . _ 3 The issuing of a confidential certificate of death to the Registrar-Gen-eral bv the medical attendant., as we J . as the one which is now given to •4 The "production of. a certificate of ; health bv each contracting nartv nt a mnrrihge to ensure, as far as possible, the marriage of healthy people. 5. Notification of venereal disease.

He d'd not consider that such a Bill shmilfl come into operation before six months’ notice, as bv that tim«. under proper treatment. the disenre oun-ht .to be almost stamped out. After" six months -the punishment for concealing tho disease ought to be so heavy that it would not ’ bo worth whi'e for rnv person q o affected to conceal it < Peonle coming: into Now ZeaInnrt should‘he compelled to notify imrncdintelv. E‘'err person com'.n<r into the’ country should. be compelled to make a declaration before embarking, stating that ho or she is clear of venereal disease. Bacteriological examinations should be conducted whenever possible and he advocated the extension of free clinics, BO- that those unable to afford it might have treatment until cured at the expense of the State. Failure to continue treatment until cured, either at the free clinics, or at the. hands of private -medical practitioners should, in his opinion, be met with imprisonment without the option of a fine. .. . The Education Aspect, Mr. John Catighley was next called and his remarks--were particularly interesting as presenting the educational aspect of a most grave and important problem. “Sooner or later,” said Mr. CaughlSy, “every child acquires knowledge cif more or less definite kin;, f the mysteries of life. I am stron of opinion that it is of the greate t. importance ttrut this knowledge should be gained in a way that will be an advantage to the child’s life and character. I feel certain that to a. very great extent tho prevalence of, immorality and consequent disease in some cases is largely the result of the false and pernicious atmosphere which has ■unrounded the acquisition by young people of knowledge which might under other conditions have been a source of inspiration and protection to them- 1 selves. I would, however, stress the point that it is not more knowledge of physiology that will meet the case, and I am not sure that this is the most important aspect of the question. • In preparing the minds and souls of children for the responsibilities and difficulties and dangers of life, I consider that the most important thing of all is to establish in the minds of the children noble ideals with regard to Infanthood and motherhood. Lessons in connection with the care of all birds and animals for their young, with the love and devotion of parents for ’their young, with all that is beautiful and tender connected with the homes and animals and birds would establish ti

find of reverence about everything; tha was connected with birth. Even aftc it is found necessary to. deal definite! with the questions and inqulriesjvhlc naturally arise in the child’s mind a he. "rows older and which should b sensibly and suitably answered, th lino of thought I have just indicate with regard to reverent thoughts con earning, birth and parentage shout play the most prominent part. I woul< in fact urge that even the more de finite instruction that it may be foum ■ possible to give should have for it sotting and its interpretation this sam idea, of reverence and awo. In othe words, I would deprecate any meohani cal, systematic, and consecutive in struotidn in the mere facts of sox hy gieno for even tha fullest knowledge 01 this subject is -known to have ver. little deterrent effect in the tompta tions of difo. Difficulty always arise when it 1 has to bo decided who Is t give the instruction and how much i to be given. Without doubt by fa the beirt instructor is the parent, bti inis most important agency of all i

often tirCshed lightly aside by the statement or assumption that parents can’t or won’t carry out their most important dutv. Thus, advocates for instruction on sex hygiene abandon as hopeless the most valuable and fruitful agency in this connection and proceed to devote nearly the whole of their attention to other less effective and sometimes dangerous methods. It ■ts another illustration of the modern tendency to hand over responsibilities of the individual to the State or to some genera] agency.” The committee then adjourned. Due notice will be given of its next sitting.