7
LOCK HOSPITALS, MADRAS PRESIDENCY.
In the following remarks an abstract is given of the working of each Lock
Hospital :—
11. Bangalore.—The number of women on the register in this station in
1878 was 57 in excess of the total for 1877, but the number remaining on the list
on the 31st December of the former year was 4 less than that at the corresponding
date of 1877. No less than 122 women removed their names from the register or
absconded in 1878, and 6 died. Disease was unprecedentedly prevalent amongst
registered women in the year under review, the admissions into the Lock Hospital
having been 705 and the daily average sick 51.20, against 547 and 31.83 in 1877.
Registration was steadily pushed as far as the available detective, staff permitted,
but this was acknowledged to be deficient; and a proposal to increase it was under
discussion at the close of the year. The increase in registered prostitutes was due
to the presence of famine-stricken women in the cantonment. Of the admissions
into the Lock Hospital 149 were for primary syphilis and 197 for gonorrhœa.
The total admissions amongat European troops at the station for venereal diseases
in 1878 numbered 475, of which 220 were cases of primary syphilis and 186
gonorrhœa. In 1877 the admissions amongst the British soldiery amounted to
431, and of these 226 were for primary syphilis and 170 for gonorrhœa. There was
thus in 1878 an increase amongst the troops of total admissions for venereal
complaints and for gonorrhœa, but a diminution in cases of primary syphilis as
contrasted with the previous year. As regards the character of disease amongst
registered women, it is stated that it was "not virulent."
12. Bellary.—Registration was not so effective in this station in 1878 as in
1877, the numbers of new women brought on the roll in the two years having been
47 and 99 respectively. The special detective agency referred to in last report
continued in existence, and the decline in results, as shown by the above figures, is
credited to "the gradual subsidence of famine and partly to other causes." The
number of registered women who absconded, removed their names from the
register, or died in 1878 was 58, or 11 more than in the preceding year. The
following figures show the more important results in the Lock Hospital in 1878
and 1877 :—
1878.
1877.
Admitted ...
...
...
...
... ...
...
378
398
Died
...
.. ...
...
... ... ...
7
8
Daily average sick
...
...
...
...
...
54.58 45.70
The increase in daily average sick was due to increased detention in hospital,
which is attributed to the " debilitated state of the constitution and the chronic
stage of the disease on admission." The admissions into the Lock Hospital for
the chief venereal diseases during the past two years are as follows :—
1878.
1877.
Primary syphilis ...
...
. . .
. . .
. . .
... 134
113
Gonorrhœa
...
...
...
...
. . .
... 206
273
It will thus be seen that with a decreased number on the register and a decline
in admissions, there was a notable increase of primary syphilis in 1878, as contrasted
with the previous year. Gonorrhœa was less common in 1878. Amongst the
troops at Bellary during the same two years the admissions were as follows under
the two principal forms of venereal disease :—
1878.
1877.
Primary syphilis ...
...
...
...
. . .
... 171
242
Gonorrhœa
...
...
...
. . .
... . . .
74
141
The results of the year under review as regards British troops were, therefore,
more favorable than in 1877; but, with an admission rate of 293.02 per thousand
strength for venereal diseases generally, there is still very great room for improve
ment. One important circumstance in connection with registration at this station
is that, as a rule, unlicensed women are only brought on the roll "when totally
unfit to carry on their trade," and that these women are invariably found to be "in
advanced state of some venereal disease, with complete broken down constitutions."
From this it may be inferred that prostitutes fit to ply their occupation manage to