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17
and Soft Chancre, or Soft Sore. Apart from a few rare
cases, as, for example, when a midwife contracts the disease
in the course of her duties, Venereal Diseases are acquired
by sexual intercourse with persons suffering from these diseases.
Venereal diseases are detrimental to the health of
the sufferer, and to his or her offspring.
On the 1st November, 1913, a Royal Commission was
appointed to enquire into the prevalence of Venereal Diseases
in the United Kingdom, their effects upon the health
of the community, and the means by which those effects
could be alleviated or prevented, it being understood that no
return to the policy or provisions of the Contagious Diseases
Acts of 1864, 1866 or 1869, was to be regarded as falling
within the scope of the enquiry.
The Contagious Diseases Acts referred to were concerned
with the Army and Navy alone, and were applied in certain
naval and military centres. They involved the surveillance
and medical examination of prostitutes in those localities.
Public opinion was opposed to these Acts, which were ultimately
repealed in 1886.
The first report of the Commission is dated 8th June,
1914, and the final report, 11th February, 1916. The latter
report has not been accepted without criticism, especially
in respect of the absence of recommendations relating to:—
(a) The Notification of Venereal Diseases; and
(b) The Prohibition of the Treatment of Venereal
eases by druggists and persons not qualified to
practice medicine.
Arising out of these Reports the Public Health
(Venereal Diseases) Regulations, 1916, dated July 12th,
1916, were issued by the Local Government Board to County
Councils and County Borough Councils, and the Common
Council of the City of London, requiring such Councils to
prepare and submit to the Local Government Board
schemes
b