Venereal Diseases in New Zealand (1922) | Page 6

in 1904, the
Royal Commission on the Poor-laws in 1909, and the Royal
Commission on Divorce in 1912, drew attention to the frightful havoc
wrought by venereal disease, and urged that further action should be
taken to deal with the evil. In 1913 the British Government appointed a
Royal Commission to inquire into the prevalence of venereal diseases
in the United Kingdom, their effects upon the health of the community,
and the means by which these effects could be alleviated or prevented,
it being understood that no return to the policy or provisions of the
Contagious Diseases Acts was to be regarded as falling within the
scope of the inquiry.
The Commission took a great deal of most valuable evidence, and did
not present their final report until 1916. They recommended improved
facilities for diagnosis and treatment, including free clinics. They came
to the conclusion that at that time any system of compulsory personal
notification would fail to secure the advantages claimed. The
Commission added, however, "it is possible that the situation may be
modified when these facilities for diagnosis and treatment
[recommended by the Commission] have been in operation for some
time, and the question of notification should then be further considered.

It is also possible that when the general public become alive to the
grave dangers arising from venereal disease, notification in some form
will be demanded." The Commission supported the adoption of a
recommendation by the Royal Commission on Divorce to the effect
that where one of the parties at the time of marriage is suffering from
venereal disease in a communicable form and the fact is not disclosed
by the party, the other party shall be entitled to obtain a decree
annulling the marriage, provided that the suit is instituted within a year
of the celebration of the marriage, and there has been no marital
intercourse after the discovery of the infection. The Commission urged
that more careful instruction should be provided in regard to moral
conduct as bearing upon sexual relations throughout all types and
grades of education. Such instruction, they urged, should be based upon
moral principles and spiritual considerations, and should not be based
only on the physical consequences of immoral conduct. They also
favoured general propaganda work, and urged that the National Council
for Combating Venereal Diseases should be recognized by Government
as an authoritative body for the purpose of spreading knowledge and
giving advice.
Another important Commission, sitting almost simultaneously with that
just referred to, was the National Birth-rate Commission, which began
its labours on the 24th October, 1913, and presented its first Report on
the 28th June, 1916. The Commission was reconstituted, with the
Bishop of Birmingham as Chairman, in 1918, to further consider the
question, and especially in view of the effects of the Great War upon
vital problems of population. Among the terms of reference the
Commission were requested to inquire into "the present spread of
venereal disease, the chief causes of sterility and degeneracy, and the
further menace of these diseases during demobilization." The
Commission in their report, presented in 1920, stated that they realized
the difficulties involved in the introduction of any efficient scheme of
compulsory notification and treatment of venereal diseases, but, they
added, they "feel that it has now passed the experimental stage both in
our colonies and in forty of the forty-eight of the United States of
America, and think it is advisable for the State to make a trial of
compulsory notification and treatment in this country, provided that

there should be no return to the principles or practice of the Contagious
Diseases Act." Referring to the finding of the Royal Commission on
Venereal Disease that it would not be possible at present to organize a
satisfactory method of certification of fitness for marriage, the National
Birth-rate Commission thought this question should now be
reconsidered with a view to legislation. "If," says the report, "a
certificate of health was to become a legal obligation for persons
contemplating marriage, many of the legal, ethical, and professional
difficulties surrounding this question would be removed."
In Sweden, where a Venereal Diseases Law was passed in 1918, stress
was laid on the importance of general enlightenment with regard to
venereal disease and germane subjects, such as sex hygiene. A
committee was appointed, consisting of experts in medicine and
pedagogy, to inquire into the best means of providing such education.
Their report, which has just been issued, is described by the British
Medical Journal as a document of considerable value, promising to
become the charter of a new and complete system of sex education and
hygiene in schools throughout Sweden. Further reference will be made
to this document in the section of this report dealing with education.
The subject of venereal disease has also been considered by more than