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72
Venereal Diseases
Under the National Health Service Act of 1946, diagnosis and
treatment of venereal diseases became a responsibility of the
Regional Hospital Boards and the functions of the local health
authorities were limited to those of prevention. In practical terms
this means the tracing of contacts, a difficult and often unrewarding
part of the preventive service, and the establishment of efficient
publicity and health education machinery.
The term "venereal" is given to a group of diseases acquired
during sexual intercourse of which, in England, syphilis and gonorrhoea are the most important. Other complaints, usually acquired
sexually, such as non-gonococcal urethritis and trichomonal
infection have recently been taking progressively more of the
venereologist's time but, fortunately, although in some instances
these can produce serious complications, in the main they do not
present the difficulties associated with syphilis and gonorrhoea.
Venereal disease can have catastrophic effects on health,
happiness and family life. Indeed, the Matrimonial Causes Act of
1950 gives undisclosed communicable venereal disease at time of
marriage as grounds for rendering such a marriage invalid.
It is more than probable that the oral contraceptive pill is making
its contribution to the increased incidence of venereal disease. Its
use is promoting greater promiscuity and, in one survey carried
out in this country recently, the infectivity rate in women taking
the pill was twice that of the general population. Furthermore,
there is evidence to the effect that since the pill causes a lowering
of the pH value of vaginal mucosa there is an increase in the
susceptibility of the female genitalia to certain infections.
Homosexuality, possibly aided and abetted by recent liberalising
legislation, is also adding its quota to the rising totals.
Increased tourism, immigration, drug addiction, social conditions
such as broken homes, maladjustment, overcrowding, low intellectual standards have all tended to aggravate the situation.
Promiscuous, enlightened, free or permissive are all epithets
which could be applied to the 1960s depending upon one's point
of view. Unfortunately, in discarding its inhibitions, youth has
been mainly responsible for the rapid spread during this decade of
venereal disease to the extent that it is double that for 1950 and is
fast approximating to the epidemic proportions of 1946 despite
modern treatment techniques.
Undoubtedly standards of behaviour are personal matters but
those of public health are of general concern. It would seem that
the time has come for society to weigh the advantages of the new-