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With regard to medical practitioners, midwives and poor law authorities, the Council communicated
all the information concerning the facilities for treatment, etc., direct by means of a circular
letter enclosing copies of the scheme, etc. To the police and probation officers the same information
was sent through the Chief Commissioner of the Police Service, and to prison doctors and chaplains
by means of the Prison Commission. Information was also sent direct to the metropolitan borough
councils, nursing associations, magistrates, the Central Midwives Board, the Midwives' Institute,
maternity centres, hospitals and dispensaries not included in the scheme. The duty of disseminating
the same information to all other agencies and individuals was delegated by the Council to the National
Council for Combating Venereal Disease.
The N.C.C.V.D. (National Council for Combating Venereal Disease) was indicated by the
Royal Commission to be the most suitable body to supervise the production of literature for use
as propaganda. For this purpose it appointed a Literature Committee, which included several exmembers
of the Royal Commission. It also secured the voluntary services of a large number of medical
men and women as speakers for the purpose of carrying on such a campaign, and it established training
classes for lay men and women to undertake educational work on the social and preventive aspect of
the question. The National Council also decided to carry on its work in close co-operation with the
late Local Government Board and local authorities charged with the duty of providing facilities for
treatment, etc., and secured the active support of the principal social and religious organisations. Early
in the year 1917, the National Council decided to form a special branch to represent the areas of the
local authorities participating in the "London scheme," to be known as the London and Home Counties
branch, and the medical officers of health of these authorities were invited to become members of the
executive committee of the branch.
With regard to lectures and addresses, arrangements were also made for the payment
of a grant-in-aid to the N.C.C.V.D. to enable them to carry out this work in the County of
London. During the years 1917 and 1918 meetings were held in a number of the metropolitan
boroughs, presided over by the mayors, at which addresses were delivered by speakers carefully
chosen from the panel of lecturers provided by the N.C.C.V.D. These meetings were followed by the
formation of a campaign in the boroughs concerned. Trade union branches, co-operative societies,
friendly societies, factories, workshops, etc., were addressed at special meetings arranged to meet the
convenience of the employees, and a great deal of attention was paid to munition workers in various
parts of London. After consultation with the Education Committee, it was decided not to make any
arrangements for special addresses on these subjects at elementary and secondary schools, training
colleges and evening schools, but to include all information which seemed to be desirable in general
health lectures. In the event, however, of any definite requests being made either by the students
of training colleges or by a considerable number of teachers, such applications were to be considered on
their merits. Finally, it should be noted that special posters giving full information of the days and
hours of the venereal disease clinics at the various hospitals were displayed in the public lavatories
and other suitable places.
The arrangements for the dissemination of literature, notices in the press, the provision of lectures
and addresses, etc., have continued since the inception of the scheme in January, 1917, with very little
modification. The only notable exception has been the introduction of the "film." This method of
propaganda was originally used to a considerable extent in the Canadian and United States Armies during
the war, and more recently it has been introduced at cinema halls in this country. The N.C.C.V.D.
applied to the Council for grants-in-aid for the purpose of providing speakers to explain the "films" and
their application. At the same time the Ministry of Health was asked to express its approval of certain
of the films for propagandist purposes. Strong representations having been made to the Council, both in
its capacity as licensing authority for cinema halls and as the local authority under the Venereal Disease
Regulations, as to the harmful effects which might result from the unrestricted exhibition of these
films before unselected audiences, it became necessary, not only to draw up regulations with regard tc
their use in such circumstances, but also to stipulate in definite terms the conditions upon which any
grant-in-aid to the N.C.C.V.D. for addresses in connection therewith should be used. For these
purposes consultations between the Theatres and Music Hall Committee and the Public Health Committee
took place, and the Council on the 27th July, 1920, resolved as follows:—
That, subject to the approval of the Minister of Health, the purposes for which the
National Council for Combating Venereal Diseases (London and Home Counties Branch) is
permitted, under the terms and conditions of the resolutions of 30th March and 18th May, 1920,
to exercise until 31st March, 1921, certain powers in respect of publicity in connection with
the Council's scheme for the diagnosis and treatment of venereal diseases, be enlarged so as
to include introductory addresses at some commercial exhibitions of propaganda films; and
that the exhibition of such films, whether addresses thereon be given or not, be allowed only
on the following conditions—
(i.) Licensees shall be required to notify the Council of their intention to display any
such films: setting out their character, the times at which, and the conditions under
which they will be shown and stating any recognised organisation by which they have
been approved.
(ii.) At the time of the display of any such films, notices of a specified size and style
must be displayed at the entrance to the cinema, so that no person can enter the cinema
without being made aware of the subject matter of the performance, and the name of the
organisation by which it is approved. The same information must be given in all advertisements,
notices, programmes, etc., relating to the performance.