Progs. No. 263-3.
From Colonel H. A. BROWNE, Commissioner of Pegu, to the Secretary to the Chief Commissioner, British
Burma,—No. 33-1, dated. the 22nd February 1879.
I HAVE the honour to submit, in original, reports as per margin, upon the
lock-hospitals in this di
- v i s i o n , f o r t h e y e a r 1 8 7 8 .
The hospitals are the
same as those reported
upon in the previous
year, and the laws and
rules under which they have been managed are the same as before.
2. No alteration has been made in the areas to which the lock-hospital
rules extended. The areas are given in the margin. It has been suggested that
it might be advisable to
extend the limits of the
protected area at Ran-
goon, so as to include
some of the outlying
villages, and so prevent
them from becoming refuges for diseased prostitutes.
3. The population of the protected areas was as fol
-lows :—
Rangoon ...
. . .
...
. . .
. . .
99,000
Thayetmyo
...
. . .
. . .
. . .
38,237
Prome....
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
31,157
Henzada...
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
16,469
Bassein...
. . .
. . .
. . .
. . .
22,417
Town Magistrate, Rangoon, No. 12-3, dated 20th January 1879.
Deputy Commissioner, Thayetmyo, datad 15th February 1879.
Ditto,
Prome, No. 15-25, dated 24th January 1879.
Ditto,
Bassein, No. 2-35, dated 22nd January 1879.
Ditto,
Henzada, No. 73-42, dated 29th January 1879
*Areas protected.
Rangoon town
. . .
...
...
12 square miles.
Thayetmyo
. . .
. . .
. . .
196"
"
Prome...
. . .
. . .
. . .
9"
"
Bassein...
. . .
. . .
. . .
14"
"
Henzada ...
...
. . .
...
2.85"
"
Population of protected
areas.
Number of prostitutes.
4. The average number of prostitutes on the registers
at each place during the last two years was :—
1877.
1878.
Rangoon ...
. . .
. . .
443.10
. . .
472.2
Thayetmyo
...
...
24. 9.
. . .
24.83
Prome...
. . .
...
23.4
. . .
30.4
Bassein...
. . .
. . .
23.7
. . .
18.7
Henzada ...
...
. . .
10.5
...
10.8
The numbers in Rangoon, therefore (chiefly natives of the Madras coast), con
-tinue to shew a steady increase ; the numbers in Prome also have increased : in
Bassein there has been some decrease ; whilst at the other two stations the
numbers are stationary. The number of new women registered at Rangoon
during the year was 280, or more than half the total number ; and the Civil Sur
-geon remarks that " almost every newly-registered woman is diseased," which
rather confirms the opinion which has been previously expressed, that these women
import the disease with them from the Madras coast.
5. The average number of women attending at the
periodical examinations during the last two years was as fol
- l o w s .
1877.
1878.
Rangoon ...
. . .
•••
285.95
. . .
304.4
Thayetmyo
. . . .
. . .
22.12
...
20.0
Prome ...
. . .
. . .
19.35
...
24.5
Bassein ...
...
. . .
16.4
. . .
16.8
Henzada ...
. . .
. . .
9.
. . .
8.6
Last year the extremely bad attendance at the Rangoon Hospital was remarked
upon. The figures shew an improvement this year ; but still a comparison
of the average number attending ( viz ., 304.4) with the total on the register ( viz .,
463.66) would make it seem as if there was still great laxity in this matter. It
appears, however, that such a comparison alone does not give a correct idea regard
-ing the regularity of attendance. From the total number on the register must
be deducted all those already in hospital. The average number in hospital
Numbers attending pe
-riodical examinations.