'A pill to cure an Earthquake': The Policies and Practices of the British Army and the Royal Navy to Prevent Venereal Disease, 1914-1945

Finn, Tara Louise (2022) 'A pill to cure an Earthquake': The Policies and Practices of the British Army and the Royal Navy to Prevent Venereal Disease, 1914-1945. Doctoral thesis, The University Of Buckingham.

Text Tara Finn 1304835 Thesis (6 May 22).pdf - Submitted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (2MB)

Abstract

This thesis examines the policies and practices the British Army and Royal Navy adopted to prevent venereal disease between 1914 and 1945. Their principle aim was to maintain fighting fitness. The actions to prevent VD fell into four strategies: legal, medical, moral and broader social welfare. This thesis examines these strategies and their impact on the prevention of VD. Both services ultimately used all four strategies to varying degrees. The navy particularly focused on the medical approach. By contrast, the army placed its emphasis on the moral reform approach...

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