The Fight Against Venereal Disease in Copenhagen. Examinations of Young Women's Skin and Genitals 1946-1961

During and after the occupation, the number of people infected with venereal disease rose sharply in Denmark, particularly in Copenhagen. The post-war brown cafés and dance restaurants attracted American soldiers and sailors every evening, and younger Danish women participated in the nightlife - to the great outrage of politicians and social commentators. The casual acquaintances that arose in Copenhagen's nightlife were termed "semi-prostitution", and the women referred to with derogatory terms such as "American girls".

Leading doctors, politicians, and the morality police closely monitored the spread of venereal disease and youth sexual behaviour, which left its mark on both political and medical debate - and in hospitals, where daily "skin patrols" were conducted. One such place was Balders Hospital in Nørrebro, which opened in 1946 as a branch of Rudolph Berghs Hospital and specialized in venereal and skin diseases.

Historian Miriam Leander Petersen tells the story of the examinations at Balders Hospital, which she has explored as part of the project The Healthy Skin: Cultural-theoretical explorations of the human visible organ at the University of Copenhagen.