Title: War Surgery and Medicine

Author: Stout, T. Duncan M.

Publication details: Historical Publications Branch, 1954, Wellington

Part of: The Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939–1945

This text is the subject of: ‘Something of Them Is Here Recorded’: Official History in New Zealand

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System of Surveillance

Patients were kept in Camp Hospital until non-infectious, but in many cases, notably the syphilis patients, further treatment as outpatients was necessary. In July 1941 it was arranged that the men receiving courses of anti-syphilis injections could be posted to field units and receive their follow-up treatment, as did other outpatients, at New Zealand field ambulances. A special record system was introduced to enable a check to be kept on outpatients to ensure that they did not fail to report for treatment.

To give a fuller control in all these follow-up measures it was decided in April 1942 that a special register be maintained by a senior clerk in the office of DMS 2 NZEF to correlate all records and details of treatment. This system proved to be very successful.

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It is interesting to note that the Adviser in Venereology, GHQ MEF, adopted a similar scheme in September 1942 in regard to surveillance and after-treatment of venereal cases returned to British units. Among the British troops, with their more complex layout, the system could not, however, function as simply or as completely as in the self-contained New Zealand force.