10
ANNUAL REPORT ON THE
Extracts from the Annual Medical Report of the Lock Hospital at Bellary, by
Surgeon MURPHY, A.M.D.
The hospital is a stone building situated to the east of the Cowl Bazaar. The building
consists of two wards in constant use, one spare room for special cases, surgery, and an
examination room. The compound is surrounded by a wall, and the necessary out-houses are
conveniently situated.
There has been no change in the Cantonment Committee, which is composed of
President :
The Brigadier-General Commanding.
Members :
The Collector of the District.
The Medical Officer of the Lock Hospital.
The Superintendent of Police.
Secretary
The Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General.
The committee has never assembled.
The prostitutes are under police supervision, the establishment consisting of one Head
Constable and three men. All women found prostituting are placed on the register. Every
woman has to attend hospital once a week for examination, and she is provided with a ticket, on
which the dates of inspection are entered. When a soldier is admitted into hospital with
venereal disease contracted in the station he is taken to the bazaar, and, if able to identify the
woman, she is sent to the hospital for examination. Registration is not sufficiently carried out.
No non-registered woman sought admission during the year. Thirty-seven prostitutes were
added to the register and 22 removed from the list. No registration fees are paid.
There is a great prevalence of venereal disease amongst the European troops in this
station. The disease is probably contracted in a great measure from the non-registered
prostitutes.
The women on the register are very weakly, and a great many resort to prostitution as a
livelihood from necessity. There is no proper supervision of the houses in which the prosti-
tutes reside. It would be advisable to have well-built houses set apart for them and some
sanitary supervision exercised over them. If the Acts were more fully enforced there would
be a great diminution in the amount of venereal disease. The general type of the disease is
mild.
Extracts from the Annual Medical Report of the Lock Hospital at Cannanore, by
Surgeon M. E. REPORTER.
The building occupied as Lock Hospital is a small bungalow with accommodation for
12 patients.
The Cantonment Sub-Committee has not been convened during the year. The control of
prostitution is under the supervision of the police. One Head Constable and three Constables
are deputed for this special duty ; one Constable out of these attends the Station Hospital every
morning, and the soldiers admitted for venereal diseases proceed. with him to point out the
women from whom they contracted the disease ; the women thus pointed out are brought to this
hospital to be examined, and, if found diseased, admitted for treatment; the women so pointed
out have always been registered prostitutes, and in the majority of cases were found free from
any disease, which conclusively proves that in most cases the soldiers point out wrong women
to screen those who carry on clandestine prostitution. About the working of the Contagious
Disease Act, I am of opinion that it would be a remarkably good one in this cantonment if the
police, who are entrusted with this duty, were to be more efficient and painstaking ; they show
no work worthy of the expenses involved in their entertainment.
The subjoined table shows the castes of the prostitutes on the register :—
Castes.
No.
Castes.
No.
Europeans
...
...
...
1
Nadirs ...
...
...
...
1
East Indians ...
...
...
3
Tiers
...
...
...
... 14
Christians
...
... ...
1
Pariahs ...
...
...
...
5
Hindus ...
...
. . .
9
Chucklers
...
...
...
1