School of Historical and Philosophical Studies - Theses

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An iconography of suffering: VD in Australia 1914-18

Larsson, Marina ( 1995)

During the Great War, it was widely held that venereal disease had become ‘rife’ in Australia. This ‘rifeness’ related not only to a perceived rise in its incidence, but to the belief that it was becoming more prevalent in populations traditionally unaffected. By early 1915, a new wave of alarm had swept the nation as the presence of infected soldiers in Australia was made public in the mainstream media. The repatriation of AIF venereal cases from the Middle East in May, and startling reports of the rise of the new ‘amateur prostitute’, added to mounting concern that VD was spreading into populations ‘hitherto unaffected'. To many, these events signified that the ‘foul undercurrent’ of venereal disease was actually penetrating the ‘general population’. The perception that venereal disease was 'rife' was accompanied by the emergence of new regulating discourses, and an increased production of knowledges about VD. The period saw the unprecedented explosion of public discourse in the form of pamphlets, essays, books, lectures conferences, cartoons, and films. This thesis concerns itself with this ‘epistemic epidemic’. (From introduction)