CO129-472 - Others - 1921 — Page 476

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Dr. Hallam, Mrs. Roife and Grant (secretary), whose health series of Mias conferences, lectures and films on vene- real disease in this city have been large- ly attended, and which have been quite an educative factor, will be leaving for Colombo by the M.M. steamer Lebon, due to sail from this port

André Friday

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DAMAGED GOODS.

Addresses and Film on the Social Scourge.

There Was a large audience in the Alhambra Theatre yesterday evening at the meeting in connection with the health commission now being held in Singapore.

Sir William Marison, the ag. Colonial Secretary, who presided, having briefly introduced the speakers, Dr. Hallam, at the commencement, thanked those present for having given him the opportunity of announcing the objects of that Com- mission now visiting Singapore. They wished to obtain their attention and in- terest in a subject which they thought was of vital importance to those present and every other member of the community. The subject, as they knew, was venereal disease, which he thought they might look upon in the light of a public health pre- blem. It was only a matter of a short space of time that any interest had been taken in the subject. One might say that that began with the appointment by the British Government of a Commission to enquire into the problem, which in 1915 gave very startling figures as to these diseases in Great Britain. They announced that one in every ten of all the populations of the large towns had syphilis and a still larger percentage had gonorrhoea. They also pointed out that those patients suffer. ing from the disease filled the workhouses, asylums and poor law institutions. Did those conditions prevail in Singapore? He was certain from what he had seen and heard during the past few days that they did. He had just obtained figures from the local asylum for the insane and he found that just under half the men there were suffering from syphilis end that 12 out of: the 17 wonten were known to be suffering from the disease. He had also visited several hospitals and he was surprised to find such a large number of the patients suffering from those diseases. Remedies

The speaker went on to say that the Royal Commission not only showed the ravages the disease had wrought but had put forward certain recommendations re- garding the treatment that should be given

to sufferers at the expense of the country, while they also recommended that the general public should be educated so as to realise the dangers of venereal disease, and be provided with facilities to treat it. The speaker then referred to the dis- covery of the syphilis germ in 1906, and the finding, later, of a drug which had a miraculous offect on the disease, and which the British Government were so anxious should be used to treat it. It was their desire, as well as that of the Commission, that some of the recommendations of the Commission should be carried out in Singa- pore, and in this connection they hoped that all those present would take an in- terest la the subject and "pass on" the information imparted to them that evening. Mrs. Neville Roife, O. B.E., then address- ed the meeting and in the course of her remarks observed that the subject was not one that could be dealt with in tight compartments, as the community as water a whole must combine to find a solution. Syphilis and gonorrhoea must be dealt with like tuberculosis and small-pox.

Sir William Murison, in thanking Dr. Hallam and Mrs. Rolfe for their interest- ing and able addresses, said he thought he could assure those present that before long there would be legislation in Singa- pore on the lines of treatment indicated by the Commissioners.

The Alm, Damaged Goods, adopted from the French play, was then screened.