23
LOCK HOSPITALS, MADRAS PRESIDENCY.
The women do not attend for inspection as regularly as they should be made to do;
267 reports of absence from inspection were made during the year at Saint Thomas' Mount,
67 at Poonamallee, and 51 at Pallavaram. Out of this number 10 cases in the Mount were
punished by imprisonment, 10 cases at Poonamallee were also punished by imprisonment,
and 14 at Pallavaram had the same punishment.
All the registered women are required to attend at the Lock Hospital every Friday; those
who say they are menstruating are examined by the Hospital Assistant and by the nurse, and
if such be the case no further examination is made; they are returned as present with M.
against their names. Women found diseased are detained in hospital for treatment and dieted.
There is a head constable and three constables appointed specially to look after the prostitutes
of the station; the head constable attends the weekly examination and makes a note of any
women kept for treatment; the Matron and Hospital Assistant are always present during the
examination; the women in hospital are examined twice a week—Tuesday and Friday.
The average daily sick of the year now under review has been 11 . 19. The establishment
has no doubt done much to control both the amount and the virulence of the venereal disease, as
it obtains both among the male and female patients. No women are admitted because of their
monthly visitation, but sometimes other diseases supervene upon the specific ailment.
No Dhais have been employed.
Extract from the Annual Medical Report of the Lock Hospital, Secunderabad,
by Surgeon-Major A. SANDERSON, M.D. & M.A.
Strength, of Prostitutes.
Remained on the register 31st December 1877 ...
...
. . .
230
Registered during the year
...
. . .
. . .
159
Number who have removed their names or absconded ...
. . .
132
Died "unregistered" prostitutes ...
...
... ...
...
...
Remained on the register on the 31st December 1878 ...
...
257
Number of Sick.
Remained on the 31st December 1877 ...
...
...
. . .
34
Admitted during the year ...
...
...
. . .
...
650
Recovered
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
642
Died ...
...
...
...
...
...
. . .
1
Remaining in hospital on 31st December 1878 ...
...
41
Daily average number of sick
...
...
...
...
. . .
38·44
Average daily number of days in hospital
...
...
. . .
21·53
RS. A. P.
Average cost of each patient dieted in hospital
...
...
0 3 5
Average cost of each patient for contingencies ...
...
0 0 2
British Troops.
Average strength during the year
...
...
. . .
. . .
25·24
Number of sick on 31st December 1877 ...
...
...
. . .
43
Number of admissions into hospital during the year
...
. . .
638
Remaining in hospital on 31st December 1878 ... . . .
. . .
27
Ratio of admissions per mille of strength
...
. . .
. . .
252·77
Judging by the gradually increasing number of registered prostitutes year after year,
the annual increase for the last five years having been as follows:—
1874
...
...
...
...
...
. . .
. . .
94
1875
...
. . .
. . .
. . .
117
1876
... ... ...
. . .
121
1877
... ...
...
...
. . .
230
1878 0...
...
... . . .
. . .
257
it would appear necessary that arrangements should be made to undertake the construction
of another block of building, say for 30 more patients, in the vacant compound adjoining the
east end of the hospital, by which the present practice of treating the sick (when very
numerous) in verandahs will be avoided.
The old examination-room at Trimulgherry, which was an out-house attached to the
Police Station at that place, was abandoned during the year, and the work is now conducted in
a new building provided for the purpose.