Should the principle of the Contagious Diseases' Act be applied to the civil population? : a paper read at the meeting, at Bristol, of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, October 4, 1869 / by Berkeley Hill.

  • Hill, Berkeley, 1834-1892.
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Should the principle of the Contagious Diseases' Act be applied to the civil population? : a paper read at the meeting, at Bristol, of the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science, October 4, 1869 / by Berkeley Hill. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    EXTENSION OF THE CONTAGIOUS DISEASES' ACT. IT is admitted on all hands that much loss and suffering are caused by the propagation of contagious venereal diseases, but it is doubted, in the first place, whether the evil be sufficiently great to justify such interference as can alone hold out prospect of success; second, whether it be possible by any practicable means to lessen the prevalence of contagious disease; third, whether this interference be justifiable in the interests of society; lastly, although this con- sideration need not detain us long, whether more harm than good results from the propagation of venereal disease. One word as to the nature of the injury inflicted by these diseases. There are three varieties or distinct disorders, which, for convenience, are termed, contagious venereal diseases. First, The local contagious sore ; this is entirely a local affection, very rarely endangering life or permanently injuring the sufferer. Second, gonorrhoea, though often a trifling ailment, is very frequently a cause of much suffering and of sterility in women, and in men of organic disease, that, besides crippling the individual, sooner or later destroys him. The third, syphilis, is one of the gravest of human diseases, which no doubt you are aware, by its tedious course, keeps its victims long disabled ; by its tendency to attack organs essential to life, causes death ; and, by the faculty of passing from parent to offspring, continues its virulence to a second generation. A disease that, according to Sir William Jenner, is one of the most fatal that we have in this country ; one of which every day's advance in our medical know- ledge raises its position in that I'espect; and it is Mr. Pagct's conviction that, as inquiries are continued, we shall find the range of syphilis wider and wider in the diseases which at present we do not consider to be syphilitic. Mr. Paget mentioned also that he had seen five surgeons die, and fifty others suffer more or less, through inoculating themselves by accidental scratches on the fingei*. Statistical returns enable us to estimate, with comparative accuracy, the amount of venereal diseases in tlie army and navy, both before measures were taken to prevent their spread, and since regulations for tliat object have been enforced in certain of our dockyard and garrison towns. In 1864, the average attacks for 1000 of effectives was 291, making of all the admissions to military hospitals nearly one-third due to this disease alone. One thousand three hundred ftnd ninety-nine men were constantly withdrawn from duty in Qur