Sexually Transmitted Diseases a Waste of Military Manpower

Abstract

A historical perspective Be£are ,cansideration .of the increase of incidence of STD in the Army which has paralleled :that occurring in the d\CiJian ,cammunity, it ,is of value to recall some events of Ithe First Warld War. In 1909 a hospita,l of one of the Guards Regiments at Rochester Row, London, was conveNed into a hospital for research and instruct­ ion in STD. One ·af the pathologists posted in was Capt Harrison, who ab-eady had consideralble e~perience of the treatment of STD. However, when the BrHish E~peditionary Fame (BBF) was sent to France in 1914 the team at Rachester Raw was dishll'nded, nO' special STD provision being made for the BEF. The military medical units accompanying the BEF had nO' drugs, even though Salvarsan had been availalble since 1910, and also had no equipment for STD investigation or treatment. The sole antivenereal disease measure was a leaflet signed by Lord lGtchener, the Secreta<ry of State rar War, e~harting the troops to' sexual continence. When patients w1th STD began to' repart to medica·l units :senior afficers raved about unpatriaticconduct and same advocwted letting :the adjectival patients rot! However, as nurnbers increased it becwme clear that samething more was required. It was then decided :that a whole stationary haspital .containing 250 beds should be allotted to' this l1aJsk. The choice of hospital seems to have been determined by the

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