( 28 )
cantonments. This disease was contracted from women met in the roads, nálas,
and park of the neighbourhood. Afterwards these soldiers imparted disease to the
registered women.
At Naini Tal, it is reported (para. 70) that the excessive disease was contracted,
chiefly, from unregistered coolie women met by the soldiers in their walks — in khads,
roads, and villages.
At Benares, the complaint is (para. 42) that disease came from intercourse with
unregistered women. For the soldiers, from some undiscoverable reason, would not
visit the registered women. And (para. 44) that the police cannot prevent this un-
licensed intercourse, because soldiers effect it at a distance from cantonments, after
long drives taken in carriages.
At Meerut, the complaint is (para. 17), that the ratio of registered women to sol-
diers, only 4.6 per cent., is insufficient. And (para. 21) that disease comes, chiefly,
from the soldiers' consort with coolie women who hang about the barracks.
At Roorkee, it is reported (para. 65) that the soldiers, without doubt, contracted
their diseases from coolie women met outside the station.
At Bareilly, it is reported (para. 31) that consort with unregistered women, met
upon the roads in the dusk, is the chief source of the soldiers' disease, and the police
cannot prevent this intercourse. Soldiers frequently confess to the fact, that they
contract disease whilst absent, from the station, on " shooting pass."
At Agra, it is reported (para. 12) that the increase was due to disease contracted
from unregistered women. The efforts made to prevent the soldiers' intercourse with
such women, who lurk on the outskirts of cantonments, having met with little success.
At Muttra, it is reported (para. 77) that a large proportion of the soldiers' disease
was contracted from unregistered women, who lurk in the vicinity of cantonments
after dark.
100. Concisely, then, it may be fairly concluded, from the recorded evidence
that success attended the working of the scheme, in 1882, wherever the registered
women were in adequate force, and the soldiers efficiently hindered in their intercourse
with unregistered women. And that failure attended the working of the scheme
wherever these two requirements were absent. Other causes of failure are undoubt-
edly deducible from the records. But these two are chief of all, and wherever they
have force, only failure can be looked for.
I do not mention this as anything new ; for, indeed, the records of the past nine
years testify in the same direction, but never so clearly as in this record of 1882.
101. Certainly a portion of the soldiers' disease was contracted from the regis-
tered women, for how could it be otherwise. From Ranikhet and from Lucknow there
comes very plain evidence favouring the belief that the soldiers imparted disease to
the registered women. And from other stations the fact recorded point in the same
direction. Also it cannot be denied that the registered women contracted disease from
native men. Indeed, so plentifully were these unfortunate women visited with the
cause of disease, that amongst their 1,677 persons entered on the register during the
year, as many as 2,048 cases of venereal disease required treatment. And nearly one-
fifth of their average number always remained in hospital.
102. From registered women, with such record of affliction, it is reasonable to
suppose that the soldiers contracted disease. But I think it not unlikely the women,
if they could be heard, would make bitter complaint of the soldiers, as their prime
cause of suffering and subsequent harm.
103. Nothing has more plainly appeared, as an outcome of these lock hospital
records, than the fact that the soldier, whenever he marches, whenever he goes out into
c a m p , c o n t r a c t s d i s e a s e f r o m w o m e n m e t o n t h e w a y o r n e a r t h e v i l l a g e s , a n d s o d i s e a s e