VENEREAL DISEASE COMMITTEE.

Evening Star, Issue 18061, 31 August 1922, Page 7

VENEREAL DISEASE COMMITTEE.

SITTING IN DUNEDIN.

i EVIDENCE OF LOCAL DOCTORS. \ f y —“ The sitting-of the Venereal Disease Committee in Dunedin commenced this morn- ■ ing. The committee comprises the Hon. ■ W. H. Triggs, M.L.C. (chairman), Sir , Donald M'Gavin, Dr J. S. . Elliott, Dr J. P. Frenglcy (Deputy-Dircctor-General of Health, representing Dr T. H. A. Valen- : tine, absent through sickness), and Lady Luke. i Dr Marshall, in charge of the V.D. clinic at Dunedin, said! he did not - think the disease was any more common in the last few years. During the hat two or three years the total nunnlW of attendances at the clinic was 33T, of which there were ISO in the last year. Syphilis was apparently not a very pwwuqnt disease in this community, halt it wa* qhoro common now than before the war. Gonorrhoea, was not more prevalent than it had been fop some yearn Men usually attended! well for treatment, but he did not think the majority of those, who contiacted the disease came to the clinic for treatment. These were treated by unauthorised persons, which had a tendency to leave them uncured. Women were more averse to •undergoing treatment. A reason for their aversion was that they did not in many cases appreciate the seriouness of the disease. A number had attended for some time, but had then left on their own initiative. He considered,! the present Social and Hygiene Act a failure. He could refer to one case of gonorrhoea which had been definitely transmitted from the male to the female. Each one, however, blamed the’other for the infection. It was often very difficult to prove the guilty person. He did not think the public would take very kindly 'to compulsory notification —in fact, he thought the public would not stand it. A good deal of unqualified treatment was carried out. His opinion was that compulsory notification would intensify this underground treatment. Promiscuous intercourse was a very common occurrence, and l indulged in by a big proportion of the younger population. It seemed hard that those who thus mdulgeid and 'who became infected should be regarded as outcasts by othei people who ran tho same risk. Ho thought it would be quite impossible, from a public point of view, to legislate for sexual disease. There should be health-training in schools of both sexes in sex matters. The chief source of the trouble was lack of parental control and quite young girls being allowed to wandei around in the way they did. He did not think that many of the public realised that treatment should be earned on for a long time. The clinics should, in his opinion, be more extensively advertised, and the public made to understand that it was strictly confidential. There should bo more strict surveillance of sailors and new arrivals in Dunedin. These were_ about the worst causes of the trouble in this country. In fact, he believed it was because Dunedin was not a large seaport that vc* did not have so inuch venorea-l disease in Dunedin. He did not think licensed houses would be of any avail ” ’combating the disease. It was essential that all medical students should bo trained in the treatment of such diseases._ Students did at present attend the clinic and gee the methods of treatment to the best advantage. There were great possibilities for research in regard to the treatment of chronic gonorrheea. In reply to Sir Donald M'Gavin, witness said it had been his experience with a battalion in Egypt that after tho institution of prophylactic treatment the number of venereal cases fell tremendously. In replv to Dr Elliott, witness said he thought there should be some means of compelling anyone to continue treatment at a clinic. "At present patients sometimes gave wrong names and addresses. If compulsory treatment„was instituted it must b© made to apply equally to men and women.

Dr Elliott: Are you in favor of compulsory notification ? Witness: I do not think the country would! stand it. In reply t,o Lady Luke, -witness said the youngest age of both sexes at which treatment had been given was eighteen. The proportion of married women to single women was about equal. He did not know of any case where a woman had discontinued treatment because of the influence of her husband. In reply to Dr Frengley, witness said the health patrols could be useful in cases where girls who were about the streets were infecting men. In such a case a warning about infecting” would be more effective than compulsory notification. The Chairman: You have said that young people being allowed to wander on the streets and lack of parental control are responsible for a great deal. Do you think social gatherings, such as moonlight picnics and dances, are responsible for harm? ‘ Witness: 1 do not think so. I am not making any specific charge in regard to Dunedin, bub speaking in regard to New: Zealand generally. \ The Chairman; The harm comes mostly from young people being allowed to parade the streets without a check from their parents? Witness: Yes.

In reply to further questions, Dr Marshall said: that there was a. big proportion of young men that did not regard gonorrhoea as very serious at all. Dr A. E. Falconer, medical superintendent of the Dunedin Hospital, said he thought it was a mistake for a campaign against venereal disease alone to be instituted unless it was part of a general campaign for a fit community. He thought that if an all-night clinic was established it would mean that official sanction was given to an injudicious practice. On moral grounds the main point in the campaign against venereal disease was that it should not be advertised. An argument, against compulsory notification •was that tie patients might cease applying for treatment. A large proportion did not apply for treatment now. However, that would adjust itself if secrecy were guaranteed. Notification would also act a* an object lesson to the younger generation. He thought compulsory patients should be separated frony the general hospital wards. While the issue was primarily not a moral one, there should be no action as far as the Public Health Department was concerned which would tend to lower the standard of morals of the community. At the State should remain neutral. Tne State, however, could give facilities to those organisations which had a moral standard it heart. In reply to Dr Frengley witness said there was no departmental leakage of information regarding y.d. cases, nor any leakage' from the hospital. In reply to Lady Luke Dr Falconer said that as far as treatment at the hospital wa« concerned there were more men with the disease than, women. Dr Lindo Ferguson, Dean of the Medical Faculty, produced the reports of professors upon! the methods of treatment of the-disease. In Veply to questions he said the treatment of v.d. had become a highly specialised branch of medicine and surgery. Dr Emily Siedeberg said that, like many other doctors, she had had experience of many sad cases of yoimg girls and married women affected with Both syphilis and gonorrhoea. She had noticed that frequently: in women the primary symptoms were so slight and passed away so quickly that the women did not recognise that they had. been infected with a dreadful disease. She thought that that accounts for the few number of women, compared to men, who sought advice at clinics. This fact had also been brought to her notice in'her work at St. Helen’s Hospital.- They had many’still births which they recognise as due to syphilis, and many babies born syphilitic, yet the mothers, show few or no symptoms. 11 From my experience among single «irls,” AQatinued Dr Siedeterg, "often

belonging to a most respectable class, I should bo in favor of modified notification (that is by number only), , and of compulsory treatment whore voluntary treatment is refused, tho whole, of course, to be done through tho Health Department, and on no account through the noliee, tho whole principle of legislation being to improve the health of the community, and not, as under tho old C.D. Acts, to try to make sexual immorality safe for men of lax morals. My practice gives rpe the impression that a larger number of girls belonging to tho_ respectable class are now becoming infected with gonorrhoea and syphilis through keeping company -with men whom they trust, and who are accepted as friends of the house, than was tho case in former years. These men know they are infected themselves, yet they wilfully ruin their young girl friends. I should favor legislation directed against these miscreants. It is usually in a moment’s weakness some night that tho damage is done, not through vice or wickedness on tho part of the* girl. These are not vicious or immoral women. They deserve all the sympathy and help which legislation- can give them. Of prostitutes I have had little experience. If free clinics are started I should suggest that the waiting room bo a scries of boxes partitioned oft from each other, like'bat-hing -boxes, sufficient to scat only two people, the patient and a friend, so that absolute privacy is assured.” Dr Siodeberg added that- a certain proportion of her patients would refuse to go to a public hospital, where they might see friends. There”' should bo absolute secrecy in the waiting room. Gonorrhtea was more common, both in married women and young- girls, than syphilis. Dr Jenkins also gave evidence, and the committee adjourned till the afternoon.