CO129-472 - Others - 1921 — Page 385

HOT

-16-

382

PARTICULAR GROUPS.

(1) Doctora.

We recommend that information as to the facilities offered with reference to free diagnosis should be issued, together with information aa to post-graduate courses, and circulated to all duly qualified medical practitioners.

(2) Nurses. We recommend that the Hospitals should be asked to include in their training for Nurses adequate instruction in Venereal Eisease.

(3) Midwives. We understand that midwives are trained and registered under the Health Department. Eight midwives are maintained in the various districts at the expense of the Health Department.

the

We believe that more might be done to link up medical practitioner with the midwife, especially in order to prevent opthalmia neonatorum.

The fact that in one district one Government midwife has only taken one case in the year seems to show that public health propaganda is urgently needed.

(4) Parents and Teachers. One of the strongest preventive agencies in the campaign against Venereal Disease is to secure clean teaching on the facts of life and sex to the rising generation. It is recog- nised that this cannot be done by the inclusion of direct teaching on sex hygiene in class except in the case of adolescent pupils at continuation classes, but much can be done in individual teaching if the teachers themselves are adequately instructed. The teacher exercises an influence not only over the child, but over the parent of the pupil. A fully instructed teacher can therefore disseminate information to the adult population by dealing with the parents, and can secure their co-operation in a cleaner and more wholesome attitude towards the sex problem on the part of the child. We therefore recommend that special courses of lectures for teachers should be arranged by the Education Committee, and that Head-- mastera and Headmistresses of schools should be authorised to convene conferences of parents, such conferences to be addressed by suitable medical speakers who would invite their co-operation and their active participation in an improved method of sex education for their children.

(Signed)

S. NEVILLE -ROLFE.

Educational Commissioner.

(signed)

RUPERT HALLAM.

Medical Commissioner.