VD irresponsibility
Sir: John Linklater (February 23) does well to castigate irresponsible venereal disease propagandists and to draw attention to the seriousness of untreated infections. It is part of today's permissive phemonenon for libertines of either sex to argue their case for promiscuity, in selfish terms of pleasure versus risk. True enough, the male With obvious gonorrhoea is in
very little trouble. He sees to that. But 70 per cent of female gonorrhoea cases are without symptoms and are only discovered by contact tracing if fortunate, or by the onset of dangerous and painful complications if unfortunate. Well over half all female cases, married or single, are innocently infected while supposedly enjoying a stable, loving relationship with one whom they trust. Over 10 per cent of all female cases suffer pelvic pain due to inflamed ovarian tubes often leading to chronic ill health and sterility. These people do not subscribe to the notion of the "social acceptability" of VD.
Only 20 per cent of female cases are thoroughly promiscuous. Prostitutes account for only 17 per cent of male cases in Newcastle. Far from ignorant females receiving all the blame for our exponentially climbing graphs it is, I submit, the lusting male, lacking both condom and conscience, counting happiness in terms of sexual conquests, ungallantly presuming his paramour's contraception or ignoring her lack of it and irresponsibly spreading his capriciously acquired infection during his own incubation period, who constitutes the country's greatest pestilential contaminant and socially disruptive influence today. In the wake of his ' undisciplined 'release' there follows both disease and distress for others whom he omits from his calculations and for which he himself often pays through the inevitable process of alienation. After all, nemesis is something that overtakes.
I need hardly add that common sense and compassion preclude these sentiments being conveyed to patients in clinics. It is pernicious and perverse education of the young and impressionable that prompts my pen.
A. G. Wigfield Consultant Venereologist, Newcastle General Hospital; Lecturer in Venereology, The University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Sir: How refreshing to read John Linklater's article in your columns of February 23. Surely of all the misused words in the dictionary 'freedom' must lead the field. We have forced on the young a knowledge and awareness of sex before they are able to nnderstand it, we have encouraged them to think themselves ready to engage in sexual activities before they can really cope with such things, and when the inevitable problems and troubles arise we tell them that these are the unavoidable results of their 'freedom.' The • greatest liberation of all time, I begin to believe, would be the liberation of our children from their freedom, so that they may be allowed to grow up at their own pace.
I would quote from one of those teenage magazines mentioned by John Linklater: "Unpleasant as VD is, it is an inevitable by-product of our more liberated sexual attitudes." We read that syphilis is on the increase again, that the World Health Organisation reports that VD has reached epidemic ptoportions, the Times reports (11-2-74) that there is a symptomless form of gonorrhoea which has all the potential dangers of the disease but is almost impossible to detect in its early stages, and, perhaps most alarming of all, it is reported that there is a resistant strain of gonorrhoea appearing which does not respond to the ordinary treatment and needs protracted treatment to deal with it.
When we face all this, can we honestly say we think today's youth are enjoying a more liberated sexual climate.
Anne Edwards Polyphant, Chick Hill, Pett, Hastings
Sir: John Linklater (February 23) is absolutely right to castigate the Guardian's recent article which appears to make VD respectable. I only feel that
he might have expressed himself even more forcefully! It is, indeed, irresponsible but the subversive effect may well have been deliberate. Fortunately, it did not read too convincingly when I read it a month ago, though I was shocked that the two most offensive suggestions — i.e. that VD does not really
matter nowadays and that it is a small price to pay for "release from sexual unhaPpiness" — were attributed to a doctor. His general moral views recommend' ing promiscuity for unmarried women so long as they remembered regular medical check-ups, may have seemed offensive to me and many other., people, but they are presumably compatible with work in medicine or surgery. Belittling the effect a VD is not, and it is presumably the awareness of indulging in wholly unprofessional conduct that made Dr T. issue his 'recommendations' to the Guardian anonymously.
F Nesteiner Oakeshott Avenue, London. N.
Sir: Where does your Dr Linklater buY his TV sets? The acts of coitus he, claimed (February 23) were "beameu direct into each home" don't show 0P, on my screen. I's there some special attachment I should buy to imProve reception? Barry Da 124a Ashley Gardens, LondonSWlt:ie8
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