( 10 )
The soldiers contracted many of their cases from unregistered women. It was
proved that three cases of syphilis were contracted from a woman who came from
Lucknow, remained a few days in the station, and then returned to Lucknow.
The soldiers often pointed out registered women as the cause of their disease.
Most often, on examination, the women so pointed out were found quite free from
disease ; yet the Medical Officer thinks many cases of disease were contracted from
the registered women.
The lock hospital system can be made efficient to decrease the amount and
virulence of disease, but it cannot banish disease. Forty-nine registered women live
in the city, twenty live in the sudder bazaar, and fourteen in the regimental bazaar.
Those who live in cantonments are provided with residences, forming a brothel built
on the outskirt of the bazaar. A basin, water, soap, and towel are provided in each
room for the use of the soldier.
The Cantonment Sub-Committee assembled once in every month of the year. A
special police force composed of soldiers recovered from venereal disease has been
employed to prevent the visits of men to villages near Cantonments. During the year,
of 27 unregistered prostitutes arrested six were found diseased.
The Medical Officer is of opinion that all women known to be public prostitutes
should be registered. He was of this opinion before, and observation of the working
of the Lock Hospital scheme has strengthened that opinion.
3 6
. T h e D e p u t y C o m m i s s i o n e rof the district thinks the statistics very satisfac-
tory.
3 7
. T h e C o m m i s s i o n e r
forwards the report without remark.
8. —BENARES.
3 8 . D u r i n g t h e y e a r 1 8 8 0 a m o n t h l y a v e r a g e o f o 8 w o m e n r e m a i n e d o n t h e
register against 75 in 1879.
The results of the management have been very unsatisfactory.
The ratios of admissions to hospital for venereal disease amongst the European
garrison for the seven years 1874-80 have been 3·0, 341, 479, 479, 333, 470, and 486
per 1,000 of daily strength respectively.
3 9
. T h e M e d i c a l O f f i c e r
r e p o r t s t h e h o s p i t a l a c c o m m o d a t i o n a m p l e a n d s u i t a b l e .
Necessary repairs have been sanctioned.
Amongst the registered women 61 cases of syphilis and 85 cases of gonorrhœa
occurred.
Their syphilis was of mild type, easily cured, and not followed by secondary
symptoms.
As a rule registered women accused of causing disease to soldiers were found
healthy on examination. The registered women are as a rule old, ugly, dirty : there-
fore not acceptable to British soldiers ; chiefly they receive the visits of native men.
A change in these respects is desirable if the endeavour is to have a fair trial at
Benares.
The Sub-Committee recommend the purchase of a street in the bazaar , to be
solely inhabited by the registered women. Now these women live in scattered places
of their own selection, and cannot be hindered from receiving the visits of natives ;
and the soldier, knowing this, prefers to take his chance with village women, with a
resulting excessive amount of disease.
The Medical Officer recommends the subsidizing of a better class of women to
live in the proposed street. Until something of this kind is done much of success
must not be expected of the lock hospital system here.