Venereal Infections in Children

To the Editor.—  We are replying to the thoughtful article by James et al entitled "Physician Reporting of Sexual Abuse of Children" appearing in The Journal (240:1145, 1978). This article effectively identified a major problem present in all areas of the country, ie, the failure of private physicians to identify and report appropriately instances of sexual abuse of children. However, we think that there may have been one omission in the original study design. Currently, the term "sexual misuse" is a broader one that relates not only to issues of rape, sexual assault, and molestation or incest but also identifies those patients with evidence of venereal infection in the pharynx, vagina, or rectum resulting from any form of legally and morally prohibited sexual experience.The failure of this study to concern itself with the equally important problem of venereal infection as the result of sexual misuse in the child population