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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1920
Annual report of the Council, 1920. Vol. III. Public Health
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xxxix
APPENDIX F.
This table sets out the number of cases notified under the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913, with
regard to whom there is clear evidence of immorality. It has been divided to distinguish between
public and casual immorality.
For each category the number who showed evidences of recent venereal disease is indicated,
but this must not be taken as a statement that the others in the past have not suffered from this condition.
The table also indicates the ages of the subjects and their class so far as the Mental Deficiency Act is concerned.
| Source of notification. | Class and age. | Prostitutes. | Others. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total. | Number with recent venereal disease. | Total. | Number with recent venereal disease. | Total. | |||
| Prison | Feeble-minded | 16-21 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |
| 21 and over | 1 | 1 | — | — | |||
| Police Court | Feeble-minded | Under 16 | 3 | — | — | — | |
| 16-21 | 10 | 3 | — | — | |||
| 21 and over | 26 | 9 | 5 | — | |||
| Moral imbecile | 16-21 | 5 | 1 | 1 | — | ||
| 21 and over | 3 | 1 | — | — | |||
| Not defective | 21 and over | 4 | 1 | — | — | ||
| Poor Law | Feeble-minded | 16-21 | 6 | 3 | 9 | — | |
| 21 and over | 22 | 10 | 38 | 2 | |||
| Moral imbecile | 16-21 | 1 | 1 | — | — | ||
| 21 and over | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | |||
| Not defective | 21 and over | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | ||
| Refuges | Feeble-minded | 16-21 | 6 | 5 | 27 | 2 | |
| 21 and over | 9 | 2 | 24 | 2 | |||
| Moral imbecile | 16-21 | 1 | — | 1 | — | ||
| Not defective | 16-21 | 2 | — | 1 | — | ||
| 21 and over | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | |||
| Miscellaneous | Feeble-minded | Under 16 | 1 | — | 4 | — | |
| 16-21 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 2 | |||
| 21 and over | 3 | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| Moral imbecile | Under 16 | — | — | 1 | — | ||
| 16-21 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | |||
| 21 and over | 1 | 1 | — | — | |||
| Totals | 118 | 46 | 147 | 9 | 265 | ||
APPENDIX G.
INSURANCE ACT AND VENEREAL DISEASE.
Under Section 14 (2) of the National Insurance Act, 1911, Approved Societies were empowered
to make rules governing the payment, etc., of sickness and disablement benefits, subject, however, to
Sub-section 4 of the same Section, which provides that where the payment of sickness and disablement
benefit has been suspended on the ground that it was caused by the misconduct of the person claiming
the benefit, such person shall not thereby become disentitled to medical benefit.
All Approved Societies included in their rules, what is known as the "misconduct" rule, to the
effect that "any member rendered incapable of following his employment by immoral or disorderly conduct,
or by engaging in wanton quarrels, or by accident arising from intoxication, shall not be entitled
to sickness or disablement benefit."
Although societies generally never pressed this section, it was effective in so far that insured
persons who had contracted venereal disease as the result of misconduct never or rarely applied for
benefit.
In 1916 and 1917 an agitation, based on the findings of the Royal Commission, grew to large
dimensions, and a widespread feeling in favour of making this rule non-operative in the case of venereal
diseases became evident.
The National Insurance Act, 1918 (Section 46) provided a simple means whereby those societies
who wished to do so could amend the rule, whilst the Insurance Commissioners in August of the same
year issued a circular (A.S. 196) in which they not only advised such a course but drafted an amendment
of rule to bring it about.