V.D. IN THE FORCES
SIR,—In a reply in the House recently Mr. Bellenger stated that the annual rate of venereal disease per 1,000 troops in 1946 was 32.8 for the British Army in Britain and 158.6 for the B.A.O.R. This confirma- tion of Lord Moran's remarks upon which you recently commented 'reveals a grave state of affairs necessitating remedial action. It is at once apparent that this high rate could be substantially reduced if information on the use of prophylactic measures was made readily avail- able to members of the armed forces. The usual objections to this course of action are that it would be tantamount to condoning or encouraging illicit sexual intercourse, but the alternative seems to be the continuance of a situation in which young men, separated from their home environment and doing service in a foreign land, are grievously exposed to disease. It is essential that a panel of religious leaders should come together to decide what practical steps can be taken, conscious of the need to safeguard moral standards and at the same time diminish disease and ill-health.—Yours faithfully, JOHN BLAKE. Glengarry, Fish Lane, Aldwick, Bognor, Sussex.
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