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Surgeon, and myself, and the following was the morning state of the same. As this was
prepared on the occasion of the Deputy Surgeon-General, I.F., of the circle's inspec-
tion thereof on the 27th December last, it must speak for itself
Table No. 2.—Return of the morning state of sick in the lock-hospital on the 27th
December, 1877.
Diseases.
Total.
Remarks.
Abrasions
. . .
. . .
... 3 This may be regarded as on the whole a fair repre-
sentation of the character and classification of the
prevailing diseases. It is, however, somewhat
under the average as regards amount, and cases
of ulceration of the cervix are rarely admitted, as
it is found that they do not spread infection, and
they are, moreover, vary intractable to treatment.
The women themselves are often quite unconscious
of its presence, and it rarely gives rise to any
local irritation or discharge.
Gonorrhœa
•••
. . .
••• 2
Leucorrhœa
...
...
••• 5
Ulcer of os uteri . . .
. . .
. . .
1
Total
... 11
Amount of disease and mode of examination and treatment.— The venereal diseases
noticed by me during my tenure of office as medical officer to this lock-hospital were
of a mild character, and such as were susceptible for the most part of speedy cure.
They consisted chiefly of leucorrhœa of the cervix and abrasions of the os. Next in
point of frequency is gonorrhœa, and fortunately so, for this is a very intractable
malady when it occurs in a virulent form in the female, and women, especially so young
women, suffering from it. have often to be detained for weeks together under treat-
ment to ensure immunity on their part against a relapse. Relapses do occur, however,
frequently in spite of all our endeavours to the contrary, but this discharge rarely, if
ever, produces much disturbance, constitutional or otherwise, in these women, and I
have not yet seen a bubo in any of them as a consequence of this or of any other form
of 'venereal'. Neither is primary syphilis common amongst them, and they do not
appear to suffer at all, anyhow not so frequently or so severely, from the sequelæ of this
disorder, as do their sisters of the same craft in the cooler west. I have looked in
vain at, or questioned to no purpose, the older harridans of this class who came before me
for evidence in point. Many of them, most indeed, are as free from traces of this taint
as the younger Cyprians, and I have seen more disease of this latter kind in one day
in a London hospital than I have witnessed in a whole year among these women. Many
of the older prostitutes, however, suffer from a species of ulceration of the cervix, the
result doubtless of old standing irritation, or rather perhaps of a low form of inflamma-
tion of that canal which is in some instances almost incurable. Anyhow the reme-
dies I have used, chiefly nitrate of silver or blackwash, applied locally, have utterly
failed to effect a cure in these cases, and nothing less than the actual cautery, nitric
acid or potassæ fusa, would, I think, avail. There is, however, no time or proper
appliances at my command for carrying out this treatment. These women submit with
the greatest reluctance, to any restraint, and the propriety of incurring the expense
this experimental therapy would entail may he doubted. Fortunately the condition
does not appear to be communicable to the male; at least I can find no evidence to
that effect in the course of my enquiries or experience here, and so I rarely admit
women of this class. All menstruating women are detained during their periods, and
the following table must speak for itself. It shows at a glance the amount and char-
acter of the diseases for which treatment was enforced, and this treatment mainly
consists of localised cleanliness and astringents. The patients are made to stand or sit
in a tub of water, and then freely drenched by means of a syringe, and concentrated
solutions of alum, zinc, or other astringents are subsequently squirted into the vaginal
canal, and this process is repeated several times a day. Nitrate of silver, in stick or
solution, is also used, so is blackwash, or a lotion of sulphate of iron grs. 11-v ad.
3i, and we give steel drops or other tonics as the indications, for these prescribe or
require.
27