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97. And here it seems necessary I should point out, that the cure of diseased
registered women is only one feature of this management, and that by no means the
most important. Hitherto I have supposed that this was well understood, but in
this year's series of reports, there comes proof, that the knowledge is not universal.
From Naini Tal (para. 68) there arises a complaint that I have, in saying it
was not satisfactory, unfairly judged the management there for the year 1880. As
a matter of fact, I do not judge anything in this report, or desire in any statement to
award praise or blame to any person. The statements of the report rest upon the
proof of facts and figures reported—and always, after the statements of result, there
follow the figures in proof of that statement. There is only one proof of manage-
ment—the incidence of disease amongst the soldiers of the garrison. Whatever makes
that incidence great is an item of bad management, and vice versâ. At Naini Tal the
ratios of disease prevalence for the seven years (1874-80) run, 275, 95,141, 255, 187, 345,
and 293. The ratio of the last year, by comparison with the preceding series, shows
that the results of the management have not been satisfactory—as the ratio for 1879,
compared in like manner, shows that the results for that year were very unsatisfactory.
98. In considering this matter, it is very necessary to bear in mind, that the
lock hospitals and the lock hospital scheme are different; the results of the manage-
ment are governed, by the working of the scheme in its entirety. The chief item of
the scheme is the reasonable control of the soldiers, so that they shall not be able to
indulge freely in liquor and women. A second item is the management of the
great company of poor native women not protected by registration—the prevention
of their consort with soldiers. A third item is the control of the registered women—
their proper selection, reasonable encouragement, frequent medical examination, and
immediate isolation pending cure from disease contracted.
99. In regard to this third item, I believe a quite extraordinary attention for
its efficient realization may be safely reported.
Its duties, unpleasant to the ordinary public mind perhaps, have nothing of that
character to a Medical Officer intent on the discovery and cure of disease. And I mark
a n e a r n e s t n e s s a b o u t t h e p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h e o f f i c e r s i n m e d i c a l c h a r g e , g e n e r a l l y , w h i c h
makes the detection of disease very sure—its cure certain. But the duties of my
office provide also frequent opportunity for observation, in regard to the attention
given to the realization of the two first items of requirement, and the resulting opi-
nion is unfavourable. I notice the presence of soldiers in lanes of cities and towns—
and the presence of women in the neighbourhood of the barracks or cantonments, at
times when they can have no ligitimate business there.
Until something of reality is imported into the management, as regards these
items, the lock hospital scheme must languish, in failure, or at best in such partial
success as the facts of the year of report witness to.
100. During the year 1881 there was a greater amount of venereal disease dis-
covered amongst the registered women than in any previous year of report. The total
of admissions to hospital was 3,334. Of these 2,276 were cases of contagious venereal
disease—namely, 906 of gonorrhœa and 1,370 of syphilis. distributed as follows :—
N u m b e r .
Station.
G o n o r r h œ a .
S y p h i l i s . N u m b e r .
Station.
G o n o r r h œ a .
S y p h i l i s .
1
Allahabad
...
... 167 167 10
Sháhjahánpur
... 57
78
2
Cawnpore
...
...
59 144 11
Ránikhet
...
... 38 89
3 Agra
...
...
43 124 12
Sitapur
...
... 21
97
4 Meerut
... ...
114 135 13
Roorkee
...
... 71
61
5
Lucknow
...
...
61 25 14
Naini Tal
... ...
8 31
6
Bareilly
...
...
25 144 15
Jhánsi
...
...
3
8
7
Fyzabad
....
...
39 53 16
Muttra
...
...
4
9
8 Benares
...
...
67 58 17
Chakráta
...
... 24 29
9
Moradabad ..
...
73 95 18
Fatehgarh
...
... 32
23