| This
chapter considers the posters produced by the government to deal
with the 'problem' of venereal disease. The chapter considers how
V.D. became recognised as a problem, ways of dealing with the problem,
and means of treatment before the First World War, and the growth
of the problem in that war.
Inter-war,
we note the growth and influence of eugenic principles of responsible
healthcare and selective breeding. We consider how the problem
was dealt with before the war, particularly by voluntary organisations,
and look for any state involvement, particularly after calls for
the Ministry of Health to be more involved in prevention and treatment.
The
'problem' of V.D. grew again in the Second World War, and we look
at ways of dealing with the problem: moral messages, calls for
medical treatment to be freely and confidentially available, and
legislative measures, such as Regulation 33B which was largely
concerned with contact tracing. Posters produced as part of campaigns
will be discussed individually, although we look for patterns
in the content, in the message, the text and the images used.
The campaign went into the public sphere (having previously only
been in public conveniences) in 1942, and the reaction to the
posters was widespread, through Wartime Social Surveys, Mass-Observation
and Home Intelligence.
-
Beardsley,
E.H. 'Allied Against Sin: American and British Responses to
Venereal Disease in World War I', Medical History,
1976, Vol. 20, pp.189-202
-
Berridge,
V. Health
and Society in Britain Since 1939 1999
- Boon, T.M.
Films and the contestation of public health in
interwar Britain [PhD] 1999
- Connan, D.M. Better Than Cure: A handbook
on Public Health Propaganda 1927
- Cooter, R., Harrison, M. Sturdy, S. (eds) Medicine
and Modern Warfare 1999
- Crew, T. Health Propaganda: Ways and Means
(With Illustrations): Covering the Propaganda Services of the
National Health Associations and others, Organisation of Health
Exhibitions and Health Week Campaigns 1935
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Death and Punishment: Attitudes to sex and sexuality in Britain
since the Renaissance 1990 (Out of Print)
- Davidson, R. and Hall, L. Sex,
Sin and Suffering: Venereal disease and European society since
1870 2001
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Creation of the Venereal Disease Treatment Centres in Early
Twentieth-Century Britain', Social History of Medicine,
1992, Vol. 5, pp.414-417
- Goodman, N.M. Wilson
Jameson: Architect of National Health 1970 (Out of
Print)
- Harrison, M. 'The British Army and the Problem
of Venereal Disease in France and Egypt during the First World
War', Medical History, 1995, Vol. 39, pp.133-158
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Modern Warfare', History of Science, 1996, Vol. 34, pp.379-410
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M.C. (eds) Behind
the Lines: Gender and the Two World Wars 1987
- Howlett, P. Fighting
with Figures: A Statistical Digest of the Second World War
1995
- Jefferis, B.G. & Nichols, J.L. Safe Counsel
or Practical Eugenics 1938
- McHugh, P. Prostitution
and Victorian Social Reform 1980 (Out of Print)
- Mort, F. Dangerous
Sexualities: Medico-moral politics in England since 1830
1987/2000
- Spongberg, M.Feminizing
Venereal Disease: The Body of the Prostitute in Nineteenth-Century
Medical Discourse 1996
- Tannahill, R. Sex
in History 1980
- Towers, B.A. 'Health Education Policy 1916-1926:
Venereal disease and the prophylaxis dilemma', Medical History,
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- Walkowitz, J.R. Prostitution
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See PhD
Proposal and Bibliographyx}
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