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75
methods of treatment and control which, with advantage, could
be introduced but there is no doubt of the need to stir the public
conscience and make it more aware of venereal diseases and their
dangers. Experts differ as to how this might be achieved, ranging
from an outright and sustained national publicity campaign to
more discrete local advertisement concerning treatment clinics and
times.
Unfortunately, at a time of stringency when finance is severely
restricted (a situation which seems to have been with the preventive
services ab initio), venereal disease clinics come very low in the
order of priorities for establishments, improvements, etc.
As reported earlier in this section, speed of modern travel
makes local control of infectious diseases difficult if not well nigh
impossible on occasions, which serves to emphasise the urgent
need for a more vigorously and internationally applied preventive
policy. This is particularly so in respect of the venereal diseases.
I am indebted to Drs. A.A. M. Reekie and D. Erskine,
Physicians i/c at the Miller and Dreadnought (Seamen's Hospital)
Treatment Centres respectively for the following statistics for
1965: —