12
ANNUAL REPORT ON THE
CENTRAL STATION HOSPITAL,
Royal Artillery.
"Men detailed from Batteries."
"One non-commissioned officer and 4 gunners to try and prevent all crimes, and arrest
offenders."
"Result very good."
SOUTH STATION HOSPITAL, INFANTRY REGIMENTS.
Her Majesty's 1st Battalion, Hampshire Regiment.
"One sergeant and 16 privates to look after barracks, married quarters, canteen, coffee
shop and prison."
"During the day 8 men go round the barracks, and 2 men are employed, morning and
evening, in the officers garden."
"At sunset 2 men are on duty in. the bazaar to keep order.
2 do. on married quarters.
1 man on coffee shop.
1 do. on canteen."
Her Majesty's 2nd Battalion, Middlesex Regiment.
" One sergeant, 1 corporal, 15 privates, who are employed about the barracks. Their orders
are to prevent any prostitutes loitering about the lines or in the vicinity, and any found solicit-
ing prostitution are handed over to Civil Police. They are then prosecuted and the result has
been satisfactory."
All women—European, Eurasians or Natives—found to be consorting with soldiers, are
brought on the register. This year 34 new women have been registered and 52 struck off,
chiefly as permanent absentees. The difficulties in checking clandestine prostitution arising
from the nature of the country and its position with reference to the adjoining villages, which
were fully explained in last year's report, have been experienced this year also. The area
over which registration extends has not been increased. It is seven square miles only as in
preceding years.
No fee is levied on registration.
The women were regular at the periodical examinations, the average attendance being
239.39 out of an average strength of 292.65. The punishments were chiefly fines only, 2
having been sentenced to hard labour. The realization from fines amounted to Rs. 133.
Individual women reported for non-attendance was 103.
A medical examination of registered women is made on Tuesdays at Secunderabad and on
Thursdays at Trimulgherry, and registration is compulsory. Treatment is afforded only at
the Lock Hospital, Secunderabad. Sometimes women from the city of Hyderabad and from
Chadarghat voluntarily present themselves for treatment. In the year under report 4 such
applications were made—one Hindu and three of the Chuckler caste—all for primary syphilis
and gonorrhœa. The first after recovery had her name registered.
The number of admissions during the year was 983 compared with 958 in 1885, the
venereal cases being 784 and non-venereal 199 against 825 and 133 in 1885. The returns
show a correspondence in the nature of disease in both the Lock Hospital and European Station
Hospitals, with the exception that in the Central Station Hospital there have been cases of
hard chancres, which have been exceptional in this hospital. These were probably contracted
from clandestine prostitutes.
The results attained this year are more satisfactory than those of the preceding eight
years. The ratio of admissions for venereal disease in the year under report compares favorably
with that for 1885, being 192.20 in the former against 244.12 in the latter. There has also
been a slight decrease in the number of women remaining on the register at the end of the
year as against 1885. The ratio of admission per mile is about 52 less this year than in
the previous one.
There is, therefore, reason to conclude that considerable progress has been made in the
carrying out of the rules. This satisfactory result is in a measure attributable to the better
arrangement made for utilizing the Civil Detective Police posted to the Lock Hospital. In the
previous years the constables were less in communication with the hospital, showing themselves
only on examination days and on other exceptional occasions. So far from being "hangers
on" and constituting the clientele of the "Dresser" as characterised by the Cantonment Magis-
trate, Captain Thornton in his remarks on last year's Lock Hospital Report, they were con-
spicuous by their absence to the decided detriment of the institution.
Under present arrangements the full benefit of the Police is secured. Since the 28th
March 1886, the chief constable reports himself daily at the hospital in pursuance of orders
received by him from the Assistant District Superintendent of Police, and gets all the informa-
tion calculated to assist him in the discharge of his duties.