SOCIAL HYGIENE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XII, Issue 235, 18 September 1922, Page 7

SOCIAL HYGIENE.

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY. LADY STOUT’S EVIDENCE. Wellington, Sept. 15. Lady Stout, giving evidence, stated that all evidence proved that there was very little venereal disease in New Zealand. Even Dr. Fenwick, who had raised the scare, abandonee! his position. No one had shown that patients would willingly attend clinics to be notified, and all had camouflaged the fact that secret information and compulsory examination, which was legalised indecent assault by the State, and police supervision, must inevitably follow notification if it was to be effective in any I way. As it had been proved that there was very little venereal disease in the gaols or among returned soldiers, mental hospitals, public hospitals, and St. Helen’s Honles, one would like to know where it was to be found. What there was of it must be in a class which would never come under compulsory measures. Women’s organisations for years had been urging clinics and educational methods, and further, for girls and children against criminal assaults, which it was know’n were usually the outcome of indulgence in alcohol. Very little had been said about alcohol, though every medical authority of 1 standing had shown that it was the chief cause of disease. No one had urged an equal moral standard for men and women, nor had anyone shown that it was reasonable to expect the same moral standard, and that continence was not only possible, but more conducive to health in man than indulgence. It was nonsense to blame venereal disease for the decrease in the birthrate or for operations upon women. There Would be very few’ operations on women if they would take Jbe*trouble to keep clean internally. f COMPULSORY NOTIFICATION I NEEDED. Major Winton, Salvation Army, gave particulars, from a Royal Commission held in London in 1917, of the opinions of various professional men ou the seriousness of the disease. According to Dr. J. Mac Alister, of Loudon, in an address before the Liverpool Medical Institute in 1914, it was estimated that there were 800,000 fresh cases of venereal disease in the United Kingdom each year, and 114,000 of these were of the gravest possible type. It was computed that there were 3,000,000 cases of syphilis in the United Kingdom. He advocated’ compulsory notification very strongly. He considered that the danger in our day was not the licensed prostitute but the flapper who knew nothing about herself. To Dr. Frengley, witness said that among troops overseas he had seen cases cascsy of both gonorrhoea and syphilis which had been contracted in public conveniences. He had been satisfied that they were not lying. Dr. Elliott: I know that in England women of high social position simply pursued the soldier, no matter what his rank. Witness: Yes, Sir; In England the New Zealand hat was the greatest possible advertisement. J. Beck, in charge of industrial special State schools, gave evidence as to the condition of delinquent and mentally deficient children who had come under his notice. DR. PLATTS MILLS’ OPINION. 1 Dr. Platts Mills read a resolution by the Wellington Young Women’s Christian Association: “That this meeting, representing the Y.W.C.A. in Wellington, strongly approves of the proposed legislation making compulsory notification necessary in connection with venereal diseases. It considers that education and voluntary treatment alone offer no solution to the problem and arc totally inadequate.’’ Dr Platts Mills spoke of the conveniences available for girls in lodging in cities. If they could afford to pay for good rooms conveniences went with them, but otherwise the conveniences were often not of a satisfactory kind. She advocated, private retiring rooms for girls at business where they could rest, and urged that recreations should be more freely available, particularly swimming baths and sports grounds. Teaching should be undertaken from childhood and an ideal of true citizenship created. To Sir Donald McGavin: She thought that the clinics at present were not open for sufficiently long hours. In the case of women treatment three or four time* a .day she was iu favour of supplying patients with material at small cost. To Lady Luke: She was of opinion that any education in physiology should be given by n medical officer rather than by a teacher. Also, many films shown and depicting the underworld and all its vices were absolutely unnecessary. OTHER WITNESSES VIEWS. Mrs Morpeth, in charge of hostel committee work for the Y.W.C.A., said that the demand for hostel accommodation w’as greater than they were able to cope with. They once had a system by which they could find board for girls, but with changes which had taken place they had found that some places were of undesirable character, and they had to abandon this method of procedure. Mrs Glover, Salvation Army patron, supported compulsory notification, instruction in sexual matters and segregation of infected persons on special treatment. People "known to be suffering from disease should have to obtain a clean certificate before marriage. To Dr. Elliott: She th’oughv that there would be no difficulty in keeping women in hospital for treatment.

EVIDENCE TAKING CONCLUDED. This concludes our work so far as the taking of evidence is concerned said the chairman, and the committee desires to express its thank? to those witnesses who have come forward and given evidence. Some of them have taken a great deal of trouble and their evidence has been most valuable. Professional men have come forward and sacrificed their valuable time and the gratitude of the public is due to them. A sense of public duty also induced a number of ladies to come forward and give evidence upon w’hat must be an unpleasant subject. The committee will now proceed with the consideration of its report. I can only say that the committee is deeply impressed, not only with the seriousness of the problem which has been presented to it, but also with its complexities, and many difficult issues are involved. There is a wide difference of opinion in regard to some aspects of the case, and the probability is that any recommendation which they may make will not be acceptable to everyone. The evidence which has been given is most important and show r s the existence of a serious danger in our midst, and the committee would not be doing its duty if it allowed matters to go on as they are. If it is not able to suggest some constructive means of endeavouring to cope with the evil, T hope that one result of the inquiry will be to spread a wider knowledge of the question amongst the public.