The Matter of Venereal Disease in 1971

Excerpt

It is not news that venereal disease is a problem for the world and specifically for this country. A recent editorial (1) in the Journal of the American Medical Association succinctly recounted the stark facts documented in the annual report of the American Social Health Association (2). For the year ending June 1970, the rate for infectious syphilis had risen by 8% over the year before, and gonorrhea had risen 16%. There is evidence that only 12% of the 80% of patients treated for venereal disease by private physicians are reported; therefore it is estimated that in 1970 treatment was