http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo5/7-8/21Venereal Disease Act 1917 (repealed 19.11.1998)An Act to prevent the treatment of Venereal Disease otherwise than by duly qualified medical Practitioners, and to control the supply of Remedies therefor; and for other matters connected therewith.1979-07-31texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2011-05-261998-11-19 1917 c. 2111In any area in which this section is in operation a person shall not, unless he is a duly qualified medical practitioner, for reward either direct or indirect, treat any person for venereal disease or prescribe any remedy therefor, or give any advice in connection with the treatment thereof, whether the advice is given to the person to be treated or to any other person.2 This section shall operate in any area to which it is applied by order of the Local Government Board, or, in Scotland and Ireland, the Local Government Board for Scotland and Ireland respectively:Provided that no order shall be made in respect of any area until a scheme for the gratuitous treatment of persons in that area suffering from venereal disease has been approved by the Local Government Board, or, in Scotland and Ireland, the Local Government Board for Scotland and Ireland respectively, and is already in operation.21A person shall not by any advertisement or any public notice or announcement treat or offer to treat any person for venereal disease, or prescribe or offer to prescribe any remedy therefor, or offer to give or give any advice in connection with the treatment thereof.2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to any advertisement, notification or announcement made or published by any local or public authority or made or published with the sanction of the Local Government Board, or in Scotland and Ireland the Local Government Board for Scotland and Ireland respectively, or to any publication sent only to duly qualified medical practitioners or to wholesale or retail chemists for the purposes of their business.3If any person acts in contravention of any of the provisions of this Act, he shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding two years, or on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, or to imprisonment, with or without hard labour, for a term not exceeding six months.4In this Act the expression “venereal disease” means syphilis, gonorrhea, or soft chancre.5This Act may be cited as the Venereal Disease Act 1917.Act repealed (19.11.1998) by 1998 c. 43, s. 1(1), Sch. 1 Pt. X Group 5Words repealed by Statute Law Revision Act 1927 (c. 42) and Medicines Act 1968 (c. 67), Sch. 6Words substituted by Medicines Act 1968 (c. 67), Sch. 5 para. 1