THE SOCIAL SCOURGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 2

THE SOCIAL SCOURGE.

DRASTIC PRECAUTIOUS PROPOSED I' MEDICAL INSPECTION AND I DETENTION. ! CLINICS TO BE ESTABLISHED. DEALING WITH THE QUACK. [Fbom Our Coueesfohdent.] WELLINGTON, July 19. Among the provisions in the War Ro« ! gulations Bill is one to give the Gov- ! ernment power to framo regulations for I dealing witli the over-increasing social 1 evil, and the Hon G. W, Russell, in outlining a number of drastic proposals having for their object the stamping out of this scourge on the community, made a forceful and impressive speech to-night, " with tho gloves off," as the Minister himself termed it. In order that this aspect of the Bill might bo i more freely discussed, all ladies in tho I galleries were requested to leave th 4* chamber. The Minister explained tho scheme reI garding the treatment of venereal diseases. That the disease was rampant in tho country was shown by the fact that 292 soldiers had been admitted to camps suffering from these diseases, 279 being the milder form. Ninety were segregated on a certain quarantine island. The question for the country was whether these men should be shut up while diseased women were allowed to continue to spread contagion. Comparisons showed that New Zealand was better off in this respect than other countries. Control of women was tried under tho C.D. Act in Christ-church. He understood "it resulted' in improved conditions. He saw no reason why infected persons should mix with a healthy 1 community. This should apply to men and women. (Hear, hear.) irle did not propose anything in tho nature of restoring the Contagious Diseases Act, but he proposed to take power by regulations to place the one-woman brothel on the same footing as a brothel containing more than one woman. (Hear, hear.) The by-laws of Auckland and Wellington brought one-woman brothels under the law, and he proposed to make the same law apply to the whole Dominion. (Hear, hear.) CLANDESTINE PROSTITUTION. Then, again, ho proposed that any woman proved to bo leading an liri- . moral life should be subject to medical inspection, and if found to be diseased should be detained vfntil cured. The question whether, after being cured, such women should be sent to a reformatory would have to be dealt with later. Women proved to be vagrants and found diseased "would also sbe in tho same way. (Hear, hear.) Tho greatest . difficulty, however, went on the Minister, would bo in dealing with clandestino prostitution of both sexes. This class was undoubtedly far. more numerous than those who gave up their lives to immoral courses. Tho British medical faculty had set its face against notification, and he was satisfied that any attempt to make venereal diseases notifiable in New Zealand-would result in driving the disease underground. He doubted very much if doctors would notify tho Department, and this underground aspect was, therefore, tho very thing to be avoided. In dealing effectively with such & disease, he thought, therefore, the course to foe adopted should be along the lines of making it a criminal offence for any person except a legally qualified medical practitioner to treat venereal disease. (Hear, hear.) This should have the effect of preventing chemists and quacks of all descriptions from diagnosing the disease an'd giving patients treatment. (Hear, hear.) ESTABLISHMENT OF CLINICS. The next slep to be taken, said Mr Russell, should be the establishment of clinics for the treatment -or venereal diseases. He did not advocate the establishment of separate institutions, as they would from their very nature prevent porsons from going to them for treatment. (Hear, heu'.j Tho onfy way was for venereal diseases to bo treated at public hospitals as being r among the ordinary diseases for which tho hospitals existed. He 4 intended', ! therefore, to ask tho House to empower him to pay subsidies of 75 instead of 50 per cent towards the cost of treating i venereal diseases at hospitals. (Hear, hear.) If possible, there shuld be female doctors for women and malo doc- [■ tors for men, and to be effective these hospitals for venereal diseases should be ! open day and night. I EDUCATIONAL ASPECT. Another important aspect was the educational, as an enormous amount of good could be done in this direction. (Hear, hear.) With this object he proposed to print and circulate widely | extracts from medical reports in all ! their hideous nakedness, showing th© | disastrous risks run by incurring danI ger of infection. He proposed also to institute lectures by male and female doctors to both sexes in all parts of the country to show the danger of promiscuous intercourse. In this educational phase he hoped to have the assistance of the bishops and clergy of i the Dominion, while in secondary i schools and the higher classes of the ! primary schools more instruction i should be given. Advantage should | also be taken of evening classes at technical schools, and pro lessors should I be enlisted as agents in propaganda dealing with this disease. The Minister went on to express the opinion that it should be obligatory for doctors to hand to patients suffering from the disease cards containing instructions, and ho would be pleased to have such cards printed at the Government office and distributed to any medical men who applied for them. He also appealed to school teachers to assist in the work and to the Press, which be remarked had already given valuable assistance. PRECAUTIONS IN AMERICA.

Sir Russell went on to explain some precautions adopted in the different States of America. Among the precautions which ho thought should be adopted here were the prohibition of any persons afflicted with syphilis from employment in such places as bakeries, meat shops, etc., and also in barbers' shops. He did not think, however, that New Zealand was prepared to go as far as interdicting marriage between persons suffering from venereal disease, as was the case in Bomo American States. OUR DUTY TO SOCIETY.

Discussing the aspect of the. diseaso as it applied to men in training camps, the Minister said that men suffering from it were probably better than a large number of civilians, who could keep their condition secret. (Hear, hear.) He addqd: " I am not going, to allow the question of delicacy to close my mouth when I am dealing with a problem of this bind. (Hear, hear.) The only way of dealing with this matter is by taking the gloves off and realising that instead of dealing with it underground the best thing is to face it and try to destroy the trouble effectively. (Hear, hear.) Every suggestion that can be made to assist the Government in coming to a wise decision on this matter will ho ■welcomed. It js a duty wo owe to ourselves, and to the unborn children of this country, that we should do the utmost we can to stamp this dreadful disease out." (Hear, hear.) The Minister added that he wished to assure members that a most careful examination was made undor the Public Health Department of all men returning from Egypt and Gallipoli, and no patients wero released from cjiiarantine until the officers were satisfied that there was no danger of the disease

in any Eastern form being communicated in this country. There had been no evidence since the men returned fropi the war areas, of any of tho grosser and more horrible forms off venereal diseases which afflicted the East. Upon the Minister, concluding his speech he v/as accorded prolonged applause by the whole' House. MINISTER'S PROPOSALS COMMENDED.

Mr Hornsby strongly emphasised his condemnation of the attitude of women who slighted and ignored their sisters who fell, but opened tho doors to the man who offended. The best thing the Minister proposed was to deal with quacks. The next thing was to ioi'ce the medical men to notify the disease. The Hon G. W. Russell: They won t Mr Hornsby: Strike the offenders off the roll. * ~r •_ .. Mr Wilford congratulated Mr Russell on his .statement regarding the social evil, and expressed the belief that it would have a deep effect on public opinion. On some points ho disagreed with tho Minister, especially tho proposal to send doctors rouj,id to give local instruction. Tho best way was to clean up the disease from its source. Let them stop at the right to control women who were liable to spread the disease, as he was positive'that,reformatory treatment would be useless. t>r Thacker commended the Minister of Internal Affairs for gripping tho question in a thorough way. Re had up-to-cfote knowledge. His efforts would do more for New Zealand thau those of any previous Minister. The best remedy was educative measures, starting as soon as children realised sex.