16
ANNUAL REPORT ON THE
Statement showing the extent of various forms of Venereal Disease among the European Troops in the
Cantonment of Bangalore during the Year 1878.
Regiment.
Period
of
Occupation.
Average
Strength during
the Period of
Occupation.
Number of Admissions
from Venereal Diseases during the
Period of Occupation.
Ratio of
Admissions
per 1,000 of
Strength per
Per i od of
Occupation.
Royal Artillery,
Details.
From 1st Jan.
to 31st Dec.
1878.
481·11
Primary syphilis
...
...
45
93·53
Secondary do.
...
...
14
29·09
Gonorrhœa ...
...
...
55
114·31
14th Hussars ...
Do.
421·69
Primary syphilis
...
...
73
173·11
Secondary do.
...
...
10
23·71
Gonorrhœa ...
...
...
49
116·19
45th Regiment
S. F.
From 1st Jan.
to 4th Feb.
1878.
573·5
Primary syphilis
...
...
3
5·23
Secondary do.
...
. . .
1
1·74
Gonorrhœa ...
...
...
1
1·74
67th Foot
... From 5th Feb.
to 13th Dec.
1878.
716.30
Primary syphilis
...
...
99
138·21
Secondary do.
...
...
12
16·75
Gonorrhœa
..
...
...
85
118·66
2/13th Foot and
Details.
14th to 31st
Dec. 1878.
399. 5
Primary syphilis
...
. . .
6
15·01
Secondary do.
...
...
2
5·00
Gonorrhœa
...
...
...
1
2·50
Total ...
456
Deduct cases contracted at
other places
...
...
4
Balance number of cases con
tracted at Bangalore
...
452
The Assistant Superintendent of Police keeps a register of all brothels and prosti-
tutes, and no brothel is allowed to exist without his sanction within the area of 14 square
miles as implied by the Act. The same applies to prostitutes who consort with Europeans. The
female keepers of brothels under 40 years of age are registered prostitutes.
The detective agency consists of 5 constables and 1 European chief constable, who, besides
his ordinary duties, superintends the work of the constables. The Assistant Superintendent of
Police also details 2 European chief constables once a week for the purpose of visiting all
European soldiers admitted into hospital for venereal disease, with the view of finding out from
the men the prostitutes who diseased them.
Registration has been efficiently carried out. It extends to Europeans, East Indians, and
Natives.
On the 1st January 1878 there were 107 on the register ; in the course of the year 124 were
added to it, making a total of 231 and showing an increase of 57 compared with that of the
previous year. This increase was due to a large number of famine-stricken women who carried
on prostitution in Bangalore and who were detected by the police and compelled to register.
During the year 104 absconded, 18 were struck off the register by the Assistant Superintendent
of Police, and 6 died—1 in hospital and 5 out of it, leaving 103 on the register on the 31st
December 1878.
No registration fees are levied in Bangalore.
The attendance of those women who have been on the register ; for considerable periods
was pretty regular at the periodical examinations, only 8 having absented themselves, but the
newly registered women were very irregular in their attendance ; 113 of these were reported
to the Assistant Superintendent of Police for non-attendance; out of these only 2 were punished
by imprisonment, 15 were warned, and the rest were not found by the police.
Venereal diseases among the registered women were not virulent and readily yielded to
treatment. 200 women were admitted into hospital for non-venereal affections, and 155 were
detained for their monthly illness : 74 unregistered women were also admitted into hospital ;
some of them had true Hunterian chancres,
No Dhaies are employed,
The spread and increase of venereal disease amongst the European soldiery in this station is
undoubtedly owing to the extensive opportunities afforded to them of clandestine intercourse
by unregistered prostitutes, female servants, grass-cutters, &c., who prowl about the vicinity of
their barracks and all parts of the cantonment, and who, as a rule, are more or less diseased, for
it is seldom that registered women who have been pointed out by European soldiers as having
given them the venereal are found diseased on examination. In proof of this statement I may here
mention this fact :—A. few months ago a lady wanted a wet nurse for her child; in the course of
about a week five women were sent to me for examination, all of whom were found diseased—two
had syphilis and three gonorrhœa.