TY - JOUR T1 - The impact of penicillin on sexual healthcare delivery systems in mid-20th century Britain JF - Sexually Transmitted Infections JO - Sex Transm Infect SP - 70 LP - 71 DO - 10.1136/sextrans-2014-051783 VL - 91 IS - 1 AU - Adam Gilbertson AU - Adriane Gelpi AU - Joseph D Tucker Y1 - 2015/02/01 UR - http://sti.bmj.com/content/91/1/70.2.abstract N2 - Penicillin's introduction in 1943 as a simple, inexpensive cure for syphilis had notable influences on venereology and broader sexual healthcare systems. Foremost among these was the perception that venereal disease (VD) no longer posed a threat and therefore merited fewer resources for control. As the chairman of a regional hospital board replied, when asked about reconstructing a VD clinic in 1958: “We don't want to spend money on these dying diseases”.1 While venereology had developed as a specialty in part because of Salvarsan, general practitioners could easily provide penicillin to patients. Thus, penicillin's success left some venereologists reflecting that they … ER -