Synopsis of the final report of the Royal Commission on Venereal Diseases / by Douglas White.

  • White, Douglas
Date:
1916
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Synopsis of the final report of the Royal Commission on Venereal Diseases / by Douglas White. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/92 (page 10)
    from 60 to 54. The actual curve of death-rates (see Chart opposite this page) shows a sharp rise from 1850-1870, a craggy top from 1870-1885, and a less sharp drop from § 12. 1885-1g11. The Scots curve is of similar character, but § 13. a good deal lower until 1905. Ireland is quite different ; its curve looks like a reflection (reversed) of the English and Scots curves. , S° iE; As a history of actual deaths from syphilis, all these and data are declared, both by the Registrars and by the App.i. Commissioners to be entirely unreliable.t There has, during the past generation, been an increasing unwilling- ness among medical men to register deaths as due to syphilis, on account of the feelings of relatives of the deceased; for this and similar reasons the Commissioners advise a system of confidential certification of deaths, in order to get at the facts. As to the syphilis curves, the impression of experienced medical witnesses is that the prevalence of syphilis has not markedly decreased of recent years, though its manifestations are less virulent § 14. than 40 years ago. Despite their inaccuracies, however, — the Commissioners consider that the records may be held to exhibit truly the proportions of disease as between England and Scotland, seeing that the same causes have produced similar errors; Ireland, a rural country, has all along had a less incidence of venereal death; but here also the actual figures are most untrustworthy. App. A truer idea of the actual prevalence is obtained from in; i, GP al., tabes and aneurism, during the years 1o01-m: ii... In’G.P.1. England falls from 70 to 60; Scotland rises and from 44-54; Ireland from g to 28. In tabes all three chart countries show a rising tendency; in aneurism, England oppo- keeps a pretty steady figure, but distinctly higher than site. the previous 15 years, the level of 32 being practically the same as for the worst years (1875-80) when the curve of syphilis is at its height. These deaths were not publicly known to be due to syphilis, and their registration was consequently not impeded. The figures lend no support to the supposition that syphilis has decreased during the last ten years, while the aneurism curve suggests that a temporary decrease between 1880-95 has been followed by an higher level since that date. Dr. Stevenson, in his: most’ useful appendix, points to improved registration, and_ the increase in institutional deaths, which are truly certified, as causes likely to raise the curves, even if the incidence is actually steady; consequently he is inclined to believe «The syphilis curve has another peculiarity in that 75 % of all the deaths occur in infants or children under 5. ‘Its value, therefore, as an index of acquired syphilis falls to a very low level. [D.W.]