( 104 )
Table No.3.—Return of the diseases that prevailed during the past year, as well as of
the number of admissions that took place under each.
Y e a r .
A v e r a g e n u m b e r o f p r o s t i t u t e s .
Diseases.
TIME UNDER TREATMENT.
L e u c o r r h œ a . G o n o r r h œ a .
A b r a s i o n .
P r i m a r y s y p h i l i s .
O t h e r d i s e a s e s .
Abrasions, 18.8
2 days
Leucorrhœa, 13.08
days.
Gonorrhœa, 13.75
days.
Remarks.
1877 108.45 105 57 111 31
18 The number of admissions to strength appears unduly large, but
many of the abrasion cases were of a trivial character, such as
other officers might hesitate to admit, and their specificity may
in many instances at least be doubted. No corresponding
lesions have been found amongst the troops, and as regards the
other conditions they include such intercurrent complications
as hæmorrhoids, warts, rectal abscesses, ulcers, &c.
Registration of prostitutes and area of supervision.— All the registered prostitutes
are of course subject to supervision, and the area of this control extends for five miles
around cantonments. It includes the sudder and regimental bazárs, Alamnagar,
Thompsonganj, Sitapur, and Khyrabad. The public women who elect to reside within
the boundaries of the cantonments, or who are known to ply their trade chiefly among
soldiers, are examined weekly by myself in person, while those from the more distant
parts are examined once a fortnight. This arrangement is, however, subject to be
modified by the requirements of the local situation at any moment at my discretion,
or under orders to that effect from the local authorities, and as a matter of fact I
examined them all every seven days for several weeks during the last summer, when
there happened to be an unusual prevalence of 'venereal' amongst the troops. I n
addition to this weekly inspection, any woman with whom an infected soldier may
have had connexion, or from whom he may consider that he has contracted disease,
is, on being identified by him, brought to hospital and inspected by myself or the
native doctor. It frequently happens, however, that these women are found to be free
from disease, and this is not to be wondered at when we take into account the state
as regards sobriety, darkness, excitement, or insouciance under which soldiers resort
to native bazárs. I will only add that villagers or vagrant women from other local-
ities are known to prostitute themselves in groves and other retired places near
cantonments whom it is often impossible to identify or arrest owing to the reluctance
or inability of the men to assist the police, and that the speculum is rarely required
for purposes of examination in this hospital. The old dhae, who has acquired from
long practice a peculiar aptitude for exposing the os, inserts the index and second
finger of the right hand into the vagina in front of the antis, while she produces
extension of the perineal parts downwards by thrusting the same finger of the left
hand into the passage under the symphysis pubis from above. In this way, as well as
by a judicious manipulation of the vaginal walls, she exposes the parts so thoroughly
in a few seconds as to render them obvious to an onlooker, and an amount of examina-
tion is got through in this way in a few minutes which several hours with the specu-
lum would scarcely complete. This process was exhibited to the deputy-surgeon-
general, Indian forces, by me on the occasion of his recent visit to this place, and
appeared to meet with his approval. Were it employed at home, we would hear less of
those scandals which are so much to be deprecated than we now do, unfortunately.
Imputations of indelicacy or impropriety would in fact be impossible under such an
arrangement.
Statistics.—The following table shows the average strength, as well as the per-
centage of admissions, discharges, deaths, &c., that took place during the past year, and
I regret that the data at my command will not allow me to institute any very reliable
comparison between it and the years that have passed. No fee is charged for registra-
tion. Any woman not actually under coverture may apply for a ticket to the canton-
ment magistrate, and this is scarcely ever refused. The ticket costs two annas, and is