( 127 )
authorities, as they unconsciously propagate disease, to which they are peculiarly liable
by reason of promiscuous intercourse and want of cleanliness, and they have caused
mischief of this kind in the garrison during the year. The medical officer thinks some
soldiers like sexual intercourse with such idiotic women, and some certainly prefer
sexual intercourse with unregistered women in secluded places to intercourse with
the registered women in the established places. These unregistered women are
generally found diseased when first examined.
The only remedy against this fruitful cause of disease is the improvement and
extension of the detective system; and especially the medical officer recommends that
graduated fees should be paid to the detectives for arresting unlicensed prostitutes,
and even to the dhaies or matrons and to the registered prostitutes a fee might with
advantage be given for each unlicensed prostitute convicted by means of their evidence.
The medical officer complains of the absence of records in the lock-hospital office,
and suggests that printed reports and Government orders bearing on the subject of
lock-hospital management should be filed in the lock-hospital offices. At Sitapur the
absence of all records of what had gone before was so great that the medical officer
did not know he had to prepare an annual report until told so by the deputy surgeon-
general.
76. The cantonment committee record a decided decrease of disease during the
past year. Syphilis has been very rare, and secondary syphilis apparently unknown.
They endorse the recommendations of the medical officer as to the necessity of
improving the detective system and providing an asylum for imbecile prostitutes, and
trust the Government will take the necessary steps to procure such asylum.
77. The general commanding the division doubts the legality of subjecting
an unregistered prostitute to medical examination. Concerning imbecile prostitutes,
the general thinks they should be detained as long as possible at the lock-hospital, and
caught again as soon as possible. The general thinks reports of hospitals should be
generally circulated or distributed, and he records the opinion that the medical officer
has paid much attention to his duties.
78. The deputy surgeon-general, Indian Medical Department, thinks the results
of the year's management at Sitapur are not better than those of other lock-hospitals
in the division. He thinks imbecile prostitutes should be dealt with by the canton-
ment magistrate. Concerning the absence of records of past years' work, the deputy
surgeon-general thinks all reports should be kept in an office-book as a permanent
record for reference.
79. The deputy commissioner has no doubt that much disease amongst the
soldiers at Sitapur is contracted from unregistered women outside cantonment limits.
He explains that only unregistered women accused of having caused disease were ex-
amined by the medical officer. The deputy commissioner thinks that imbecile pros-
titutes are not fit subjects for admission to the lunatic asylum. Such women have
been kept in the poorhouse, but refuse to remain there. He notes that a large pro-
portion of the women admitted to the lock-hospital were not suffering from any vene-
real disease.
80. The commissioner forwards the papers without remark.
SUMMARY.
81. By reference to the table of results on 112th page of this report it will be
observed that whilst for the year 1877 the results have been less satisfactory in regard
to the lock-hospitals of the North-Western Provinces, they have been more satisfactory
in regard to the lock-hospitals of Oudh : and the cause of this difference is that
whereas in the North-Western Provinces the management has in some instances been
characterized by negligence, in Oudh a greatly increased amount of carefulness and
attention has characterized the management everywhere.
33