LOCK HOSPITALS, MADRAS PRESIDENCY.
15
number of women can be but a slight safeguard against venereal disease. To put down this
evil the detective agency must be considerably increased, as it can scarcely be expected that
four or five policemen can by any possibility keep efficient supervision over an area of 14 square
miles. The rules, as they now stand, affect those women who consort, or are suspected to
consort, with Europeans, and they only can be taken up by the police, brought before a magistrate,
and compelled to register. It is a pity that these rules are not made to extend to all women
who carry on indiscriminate prostitution, whether with Europeans or Natives; if this could be
done, there can be no doubt that a very great check would be put to the spread of venereal
disease.
Extract from the Annual Medical Report of the Lock Hospital at Bellary,
by Surgeon-Major E.S. CLEVELAND, M.D.
Strength, of Prostitutes.
Remained on the register on the 31st December 1876 ...
67
Registered during the year 1877 ...
...
...
...
99
Total ...
166
Number who removed their names, absconded, or died ...
47
Number remaining on the register on the 31st Dece
m-ber 1877 ...
...
...
...
...
...
. . .
119
Number of Sick.
Remained on the 31st December 1876
...
. . .
. . .
14
Admitted during the year ...
...
...
. . .
. . .
398
Recovered ...
...
.. .
...
. . . . ...
. . .
371
Absconded from hospital ...
...
...
. . .
. . .
6
Died in hospital during the year ...
...
. . .
. . .
8
Remaining in hospital on 31st December 1877 ...
. . .
27
Daily average number of sick...
...
...
45.70
Average number of days in hospital
...
. . .
. . .
35.14
British Troops.
Average strength during the year
...
...
... 8 4 5 . 8 3
Number of venereal sick remained on the 31st Decem-
ber 1876 ...
...
...
...
...
...
...
18
Number of venereal admissions into hospital during the year.
394
Remaining in hospital on 31st December 1877 ...
. . .
27
Ratio of admissions per mille of strength ... ... ...
465.81
The Lock Hospital is a second-class one, under the operations of Act No. I of 1866,
Chapter V, extending 4 miles beyond cantonment limits. The hospital building is suitable
and satisfactory in every point of sanitation, and therefore remains unaltered.
The rules have been under the supervision and control of the Cantonment Committee. The
returns of venereal sick of British troops have been regularly received, and the following
statement is prepared from them:—
Regiment.
Period of
Occupation.
Average
Strength during
Period of
Occupation.
Number of Admissions From Venereal
Diseases during Period of
Occupation.
Ratio of
Admissions
per 1,
000 of St rengt h for
Period of
Occupation.
H.M.'s 43rd
Regt. L.I.
The whole of
the year1877.
H. M.'s 43rd
Regt. L. I.
having ar-
rived on the
28th Novem-
ber 1875, and
B-20th Bri-
gade R. A.
on the 1st
January 1875.
845.83
Primary syphilis
...
... 244
Gonorrhœa
-....
... 139
Phymosis
...
...
...
B-20th Brigade
R.A.
. . .
Stricture
...
...
... ...
Warts
...
...
...
. . .
Orchitis, gonorrhœal ...
...
. . .
Secondary syphilis ...
...
11
Total ... 394
465.81
Deduct cases contracted at
other places...
...
... ...
.
Balance number of cases con-
tracted at Bellary ...
... 394