All My Children

There are a number of venereal diseases in America and Western Europe. Those which most people know about are called syphilis and gonorrhoea. Another of these diseases which has become increasingly common in Britain is known by the rather long name of non-specific urethritis. There are a few other rare venereal diseases and other minor conditions which can be caught by contact between the sexual organs, but which do not have effects on health nearly as serious as those resulting from syphilis and gonorrhoea.

In the old days a lot of people used to think that you caught V.D. just by having sexual intercourse with somebody to whom you were not married. Some people had superstitious ideas that marriage conferred immunity from venereal disease. Until the last few years it was in fact the case that venereal disease was unusual and caught mainly from prostitutes. But now, owing to the changes in sexual practices which have taken place recently, gonorrhoea at least is the second most common infectious disease in Britain, and a person is unlikely in fact to catch it from a prostitute, prostitutes being particularly well aware of how to avoid gonorrhoea. Continue Reading »

Your child’s checkups at ages three and four were probably uneventful, at least from the child’s perspective. At five, however, school is on the horizon, and specific screening and immunization updates are due. Find out about local school entrance requirements and your health-care provider’s routine for this exam, because a little preparation may soften some of the “sticker shock.” You don’t have to go into the gory details, but you might mention that this is a special visit and that the doctor is going to make sure that your child is ready for school.

Aside from the normal height, weight, vision, and hearing screening, and a head-to-toe exam, what else may happen?

• A urinalysis. A number of problems can be detected by an evaluation of urine, so make sure your child doesn’t urinate just prior to the visit.
• A blood test (usually by finger stick) to check for anemia.
• A skin test for tuberculosis (which may depend on school requirements, your location, and your child’s risk for exposure to this disease). This has probably been done at least once at a previous checkup, but your child may not remember it. The small prick on the forearm must be checked by the doctor if a firm bump develops at the site of the injection after forty-eight to seventy-two hours. A local reaction may indicate that your child has had contact with the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, although he may not have an active infection. Further testing will usually be necessary.

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