NATIONAL MENACE

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 155, 3 July 1916, Page 2

NATIONAL MENACE

A JiiEffURNED SOLDIERS VIEWS

In view of the proriiinence winch has of late been give^n to the; prevalence of venereal disease?,' some interesting sidelights on .-the temptations .to which the troops in; Egypt wore exposed,; were given- to a representative of the Christchurch Press byVa returned soldter , who "left New. Zealand with the Main Body.' .; On tho very:first aftcrnooi the men ■ar ived in Cairo, the young soldier >aid, opportunity was taken by - cb'ni-.' manders of yaripus companies to explain the dangers with .'which' .they sv. ould be faced. -;. Particular stress was1 laid on the pr^yajenso of venereal disear,o in Cairo, tmd its exceptional virulence. ..and it was also pointed out that tho cjiiniaiic conditions were such as to caii.se the nien 'to plktco extra rbstraintV iipon themselves. * Notwithstanding1 , these warnings, the temptations of the ygay city proved extremely strong. : The town 'simply reeked with .prostitutes. , ofV whom there were stated to bo 70,000 Avith licenses in ■'. Cairo. /In. tho native quarter, whblo 'streets v. ere, occupied by ■them;!and therb was not one who. could not produce a rertificato of .sdmo ■■'description, -filleging, that >:ho was the subject of freq.ient medical inspection. Some; of them were most attractive women,; and they waylaid tho- newly-arrived soldiery at every available opportunity, -...iing every, blandishment. With such a,'vast number of?, troops congregated in one city 'the result was a natural one, and as, the great majority of these, women were diseased, the outcome was.that a largo number of' the mon wore invalided/ ■ '../•-•' •;-.■..- '; ■.: ■

/ La;.ge isolation hospitals .*were provided for the patients, where care was taker, that they were not released until their freedom from infection was mado certain. / Frequent medical inspections were held, and it was only a comparatively insignificant number who. escaped detection by the authori-

ties, concealment of the disease being'j treated ' with the; utmost severity., Many of the jnen ' were shipped to 3iiore congenial climates, to>; recover,,j \vhile qiiite a mimber: who were considered incurable, or particularly ibad cases, Wore sent back to New Zealand and Australia^ r>nd many, of them are, still in isolation in'the Dominion, -i

r?It;. was common camp gossip that many of these women had contracted ilxd disease in eneniy ' countries, and had then been shipped, off to Egypt by i the enemy to do iheir\ frightful sharo for the" Fatherland amongst the colonial aiid English; troops:, ,Such motLtods had been proved:..to exist in other camioaiens. ' ' '

In,; conclusion, the: soldier remarked on the laxity' of the .px<imina.tion. ■';.. of men returning ■/■to ;^?'jN'ew ;_' Zealand. Amongst.the detachment, with- which lie returned were, three. or four men who were suffering from the disease, and had been treating themselves1 without reporting ,to the medical officer on the ship, ; arid as there' was p.raoti cally no medical inspection ion arriving- in: New : Zealand, .they escaped detection altogether. ■ One of the.;5' doctors :it the Christchurch Hospital, in /-.'referring to the subject, remarked that there liad certain iv been a marked general increase in yenereal disease in New Zealand since the -outbreak of the''■•war. .At tho C/hristchuroh Hospital there was a special hour-,-ionce ji >yeek for out^ patients suffering fi'oni-fiuch diseases, and a good ijum;jei';,atteuded. Amongst the patients were-. a.sprinkling of sol - .dier^.;\;.^'Wh©"nevp : r^{tC4o)-.d.ipr' applied at the; hospital: for :treatment,;of- ■•■any kind; :ho fatter vpKalv;:lvis complaint, the Defenpe ■.iVrtutn^j^e^^wci'e'-.;'' i alwaj^. notified jhence''••th'^ofwaS'Vlittle/icha'iice of infected soldiers eccaping detection. Tlie ..'••doctor;; continued. tha-t the. ques-, • tiion; was indeed a, sieyip us one, requiringserious treatment/ ;not' only- for tho; good of the patients themselves;, but for the ;good • of \futiire generatioiis. Legislation: reg airing exainination before, marriage wouldxindoiibtedly "be; beneficial, ;'and. it was quiteiclear that something must be doni>. ( i A great, deal depended on the keenness of the; medical officers in the .camps, and he thought, frequent.leeto the men on the danger of ;siich disoases and their - appalling ; consequences; to; the latei* generation would liavo good results. The utmost care should ajso be taken by the ■'. axithoritios that men returningi frpni !the frorif wei-o carefully' oianiinod oeJFo re 'bping pei-mitte:l to mingle: the genei-ail public.. fptV.ono. anfected man might be the pause, of; many contract-' ing the-disease. - * ' ■/ : . ■ /