No. 1823, dated 13th May 1890.
From—G. FARRELL, Esquire, C.B., Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals, Punjab,
To—The Chief Secretary to Government, Punjab.
WITH reference to your letter No. 186, dated 14th April 1890, I have the
honor to return you the two copies of the Lock Hospital returns for 1889 sent
therewith, and beg to make the following remarks.
2. The object of these returns was, I apprehend, to ascertain how far
the compulsory examination and treatment in hospital of registered women
operated as a check on the spread of venereal disease among British troops. As,
however, all compulsory measures are now prohibited, the present returns can be
of no value whatever in this respect, but they may not-be without interest as
showing the working for a complete year of what is called the voluntary
system.
3.
I append the usual Table I, showing the average strength and the
ratio per 1,000 of admissions to hospital for venereal disease among British
troops in 16 Cantonments of the Punjab for the years 1888 and 1889. I have
omitted Solon from the number of stations as the statistics from that place
were not cornplete. I think it will also be useful to compare the statistics of
last year with those of 1887, when compulsory measures were in force through-
out the year. I have, therefore, added Table II , which gives the ratio of admis-
sions per 1,000 for venereal disease in 1887 and 1889 respectively. I have also
noted the admissions and the daily average number of women treated in the
Lock Hospitals in both these years. In this way a comparison can be made
between the working of the two systems.
4. Referring to Table I, I find that in 9 out of 16 stations there has
been an increase in the admissions from venereal disease last year over those in
1888. Subáthu shows the largest increase of 273 per 1,000. This is not easily
explained, for the Medical Officer reports that the recognized prostitutes have
attended regularly and willingly, and the figures in Table 2 of his report show a
larger number of admissions to the Lock Hospital and a higher daily average
number under treatment than in 1888, when the admissions among the troops
were 177 per 1,000, or even more than in 1887, when compulsory registration
was in force. It is possible, however, that the abolition of these measures has
enabled a larger class to practise prostitution without fear of detection or ex-
amination. Something of this sort may be the explanation of the great
increase of venereal at this station last year, when the admissions were 450 per
1,000 against 177 in the previous year. Meean Meer, Ráwalpindi and Siálkot
are the stations next in order which show the largest increase. At Meean
Meer the increase is more than 50 per cent. Here, as well as at Ráwalpindi,
the voluntary attendance at Lock Hospitals is reported as fair, but the figures
in Table 2 of the reports from these stations show that very little is now
done as regards the examination and treatment of prostitutes, and the marked
difference between these figures and those for 1887, when compulsory measures
were in force, will in great measure account for the increase of venereal disease
at both stations. At Siálkot, where the increase over 1888 is more than 50 per
cent. and more than 100 per cent. over the admissions of 1887, it is reported that
very few women attend, and the figures in Table 2 of the report show this to be
the case.
5. Of the remaining seven stations, which show a decrease in the ad-
missions from those of 1888, Attock, Nowshera, Dagshai and Pesháwar show
the largest decrease. Attock has the lowest ratio of admissions in the Province
and also the lowest recorded for the last three years, in one of which, 1887, com- -
pulsory measures were in force. It is reported that the present arrangements