CO129-472 - Others - 1921 — Page 484

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HEALTH COMMISSION,

INGAPORE COUNCIL TO BE FORMED.

Under the auspices of the N.C.C.V.D. mmission a conference was held, by kind mission of His Excellency yesterday Government House. His Excellency tried and the meeting was w attended representatives of the Goya,gent De- riments concerned in the question of blic health, of organisations, etc.

I Excellency briefly introduced the two. akers, Mrs. C. Neville Roife, O.B.E. and Rupert Hallam, members of the Na ual Council Commission e Combaung

rca! Diseases.

1s. Rolfe, in the cours of her address, ed that the problem of venerent discare bald be considered entirely as a public 1th question. She stated that she could esitatingly say that the Knes of ad Istration which had proved acut s aful were in those countries which had gressed on these lines. There were many ps that could be taken in any comunity tha civic conscience .to reduce ne social alties, bat there were no stops that ld be taken usefully by means of legiɛ- on to combat venereal disease. It the ue is once confused we shall defeat our object. In speaking of legislation the ker pointed out that in the legislation Yew Zealand a clause directed medical titioners to issue certificates of cure or n-infectivity.. This was a great danger ublic health, and that clause had to pealed, and it has now been made an be to give certificates of that nature large number of those given were used urposes of advertisement by women position to spread infection to the er of public health. She had reason lieve that the Colony following the ple of the progressive nations of the was taking steps to provide facilities ree diagnosis and treatment. It was ficient, however, to provide facilities jeatment unless the provision of these ties was accompanied by a campaign Blic enlightenment in order that the est use might be made of those facilit She therefore wanted to suggest to present the advisability of strengthen- He hands of the administration by pro- the machinery that will enable all ts in the population to be reached. ficulties encountered in such a can- made it necesary for any organisa- stablished to be of a semi-official

er.

Mrs. Rolfe then described the organisa- tion and work of the Nation Council for Combating Venereal Diseases, in Great Britain, showing how the movement had progressed, and urged that 庭 Singa- pore Council for Combating Venereal Dia- cares should be established linked up with the organisation at home, the aims and objects of which would be similar. The Dominion and Colonial Councils thus form- ed were completely autonomous, the only condition being that they did not publish literature antagonistic to the policy of the Council. The problems were different in each place and could unly be dealt with by those with a knowledge of local conditions, In Singapore there were special problems and very special difficulties that would have to be met. On the educational side the result of the conferences she had had the privilege of holding with the educationalists, showed that there was much to be done on existing educational lines on the lines of co-operation between parents and teachers in the education of the rising generation in the knowledge of the facts of life, by the introduction of nature study into the schools and by the extension of the syllabus of the Training College for Teachers to include information on this subject. There were certam aspects of the question, certain sides of social work that need stimulating which a Council is in the position of being able to draw the attention of the Govern- ment Departments to, and also they can render services, if they are efficient. to those : Departments in the same way as the Na-

tional Council at home.

Besides considering the formation of local Council, she also urged their consid- ering an enquiry quite separate from any- thing to do with the formation of a local Council into such social conditions as lead to an artificial stimulus of the demand for promiscuity.

Dr. Hallam spoke in support of the pro- posal and dwelt on the excellent results achieved at Home, emphasing the extra- ordinary decrease in the disease recorded, and in some of the large towns the reduction in the treatment for the

numbers receiving first time, due to the excellent facilities provided and to the spread of knowledge among the com- munity as a whole.

His Excellency the Governor stated he considered the aims and objects of the Council were of common interest and ap- plicable to all countries. He moved that those present should form & Council for combating venereal disease, stating that he and Lady Guillemard were willing to act as Presidents. Steps were being taken to appoint Vice-Presidents and to invite representatives of organisations and pro- minent individuals in Singapore to become members of the Council.

Dr. Dexter Allen and Capt. Hacker, R. A. M. C. were appointed temporary Hon. Sec- retaries.

The resolution to form a Council in Singapore was seconded by Dr. Lim Boor Keng, the proceedings terminating with votes of thanks to the speakers.

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