Value of re-interviewing in contact tracing.

The epidemiological importance of reinterviewing in contact tracing, using those treated for venereal is demonstrated. Interviewing as a preliminary to contact tracing is usually done by the physician in charge. When 160 patients with early syphilis failed to provide information on contacts, they were reinterviewed by a skilled interviewer trained in psychology and working in pleasant surroundings. The reinterviews brought 208 named contacts, 189 of whom were contacted and 88 of whom has syphilis. Women proved more cooperative in listing contacts; unmarried people were more cooperative than married. Reasons for patients giving inadequate information were often the casual nature of the sexual contact and, in the case of the young girls, the multiplicity of partners. This indicated the marked trend toward sexual promiscuity, especially among the young.