Age Group and Country of Origin of Cases of Gonorrhoea in England and Wales: with a Comparison of the Incidence of Gonorrhoea in Denmark.

Denmark, like England, is a small country, and yet the extensive influence she wields far exceeds her size. Particularly does this apply to the field of venereology. It is regarded, therefore, as a particular privilege to speak in this great city of Copenhagen which, with its State Serum Institute and Neisseria Centre contributing to the technical aspects of diagnosis throughout the world, and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe and the European Regional Office of the International Union against the Venereal Diseases-important no less in matters of policy-is a veritable headquarters for those who practise the subject. Presented in this paper are some general observations on the six studies of the British Cooperative Clinical Group, which have been principally concerned with the country of origin of patients with gonorrhoea since 1952 (Brit. Coop. Clin. Group, 1956, 1960, 1962, 1963a, 1963b) and with their age groups since 1957 (Brit. Coop. Clin. Group, 1960a, 1962, 1963a, 1963b). During these years the numbers of patients with gonorrhoea attending the venereal disease clinics of England and Wales have shown a significant and steady increase until in the last year there has at last been a fall, but whether this is temporary or permanent remains to be seen (Table I and Fig. 1). The figures presented include only patients attending the venereal diseases clinics and take no account of those treated by other hospital departments, by general practitioners, or in the armed forces. TABLE I