Roger Davidson in 1994 wrote about the high rate of these diseases between the First and Second World Wars in Scotland. He notes that in response to this concern, Scotland issued the Public Health (Venereal Diseases) Regulations (Scotland) in October 1916. ¹ Davidson describes the establishment of sexual clinics as follows:

‘Under these regulations, local authorities were required to establish, with the aid of a 75 percent Exchequer grant, a free, voluntary, accessible, and confidential system of provisions for the diagnosis and treatment of VD, with appropriate clinics and laboratory facilities, with a specialized medical staff and a gratuitous supply of arsenobenzol compounds for qualified private practitioners.’ ² There is a lot to unpack even from this one quote from Davidson. Firstly, it shows that the private behaviour of the individuals engaging in this activity had public consequences. Secondly, since this treatment was free, the amount of money it would have taken to make this possible would have been considerable. Keep these points in mind as we go through this topic.

Social Problems and Moral Education

Davidson argues that venereal diseases throughout history are often taken as a metaphor for broader moral and social decay. ³ It is true that after the First World War, sexual morality had radically shifted, especially in Scotland. Kenneth Roxburgh in his 2022 article mentions that the Church of Scotland reported the highest numbers of babies born out-of-wedlock in in the UK in 1918. He also notes that in 1917, 33,000 soldiers were admitted to British hospitals alone for sexual diseases. ⁴

Davidson discusses the use of moral education as a part to rebalancing the ‘decay’. He highlights that the British Social Hygiene Council (BSHC), alongside the Exchequer and local authorities once again, put an emphasis on educating people on chastity. ⁵ His wording was particularly intriguing- ‘to preach the importance of sexual continence for physical and racial health’. ⁶ He is showing, therefore, that sexuality was not the only concern here (more on this below). Nevertheless, the primary targets of this education were parents of infected children, prostitutes/promiscuous women, and generally those who refused treatment. He highlighted the government if necessary would even use legal force to administer treatment. ⁷

Phillipa Levine also discusses the topic of sexual diseases among soldiers, but in the context of colonial India. She focuses on the fact that British government directly linked this spread of venereal diseases with female prostitution. She mentions legalisation brought in to regulate prostitution disproportionately affected the lives of native Indians in cities. ⁸ It is worth mentioning, however, that the reports may have miscategorised and even exaggerated. She discusses how problems such as ‘ulcer of the penis’ and excessive vaginal discharge could at times be grouped in with syphilitic conditions. ⁹ To compare this with the numbers Davidson mentioned in interwar Scotland, it is always wise to exercise some caution around these types of statistics.

She goes on to explain the various theories around what caused the soldiers in India to sleep with prostitutes and thus cause an increase in venereal disease. She shows that between the growing amount of young and inexperienced soldiers in the area coupled with restrictions on marriage, searching for sex with prostitutes or outside of marriage generally became normal. ¹⁰

Racial Connotations of Sexual Disease and Behaviour

Levine thoroughly illustrates the connection made by the British at the time between prostitution and the local population. She notes that this interest in advancing medical treatment was also connected to civilising the supposed uncivilised population. ¹¹ She also notes, rather interestingly, that the native Indian troops had lower rates of these diseases than the Europeans. While both the British and Indian troops suffered from these issues, the British had disproportionate rates. They (that is to say, the British) would explain this away by suggesting that the Indians were more covert with hiding their illnesses or experimenting with unusual medicines. ¹²

I have attempted to show that sexual diseases are inevitably a small part of much bigger topics. I believe you can condense the focus of this post into these points:

• Warfare can very often bring a disruption in more restrained and/or conservative sexual values
• The existence of large amounts of young unmarried men poses as a public health problem if not addressed properly
• The policing of sexual ethics intertwines with views of cultural norms and even ideas of racial supremacy

Conclusion

You may be wondering what any of this has to do with ancestry. I will admit that this topic is not as directly linked to finding one’s own ancestry as previous posts I have written. I would argue, however, that all of these points link into both individual and collective heritage.

We must firstly be aware about the social conditions that bring about a source of chaos in human behaviour. Many of us will have ancestors born out of wedlock, or with venereal diseases passed down from birth such as syphilis. Some of our female ancestors may have worked as prostitutes, and others involved in working for the clinics in Scotland as Davidson described. Since these illnesses are largely preventable for most people, recognising their cause and effect is crucial in preserving familial wellbeing. Total sexual liberation is a purely positive view for some, but the truth from an ancestral perspective is rarely pleasant. Tracing ancestors may become more complicated. Generational illness and trauma are inevitable. Even the money and resources spent on the clinics may have long-term impacts on the population.

The primary concern from a collective heritage point of view is the younger generation. The young men for example posted to India were not prepared for resisting temptation, and not only did they suffer, but those around them too. Having a realistic view of sexual ethics- neither overly positive or negative- in society will ensure the wellbeing of the culture as well as the individual. When it comes to racial aspects Levine researched, having a keen sense of which ideologies influence the making of legislation or the treatment of disease is a part of that process.

Davidson, Roger. ‘Venereal Disease, Sexual Morality, and Public Health in Interwar Scotland’. Journal of the History of Sexuality 5 (1994): 267-294.

Levine, Phillipa. ‘Venereal Disease, Prostitution, and the Politics of Empire: The Case of British India’. Journal of the History of Sexuality 4 (1994): 579-602.

Roxburgh, Kenneth. ‘The Impact of the Great War on Scottish Christianity’. Religions 13 (2022): 1-16 (in PDF format).