Venereal Disease and Public Health Administration in Newfoundland in the 1930s and 1940s

In the 1930s, venereal disease was identified in Newfoundland as a serious public health problem. Through The Health and Public Welfare Act, 1931, the country had a comprehensive regulatory system for dealing with VD, but in practice it lacked the resources to enforce the legislation. H. M. Mosdell, the key official involved, favored the opening of a lock hospital. Wartime conditions, especially the arrival of thousands of members of the Canadian and American armed forces, magnified the VD problem facing Newfoundland but facilitated new control measures. In 1943 a lock hospital was actually opened but the introduction of pencillin soon led to its closure.