The Control of Venereal Diseases and the Search for the Infected in Soviet Lithuania, 1953–1985

Abstract

The article analyzes the treatment of sexually transmitted infections in Soviet Lithuania during the period of 1953–1985. Upon examining primarily the materials of the Republican Dispensary of Skin and Venereal Diseases, the study aims to determine how the mechanisms of venereal disease control operated, and which social groups most frequently fell under the radar of these mechanisms. It also investigates how the legal framework of the time served these control mechanisms. The research demonstrates that the Soviet legal system viewed the treatment of venereal diseases as an object of criminal law. First, a legal framework was established to punish the infected person, and only then to treat them. In addition to medical professionals, the militia and the general public were integrated into the venereal disease control mechanisms. Great emphasis was placed on identifying, tracing, and treating the patient’s potential sources of infection. Compulsory screening and treatment mechanisms created conditions for the persecution, stigmatization, and marginalization of individuals who did not conform to the image of the ‘upright citizen’.