( 15 )
77 were arrested and brought before the Magistrate, and the way in which they
were disposed of is mentioned below :—
Actual absentees from periodical examinations.
No.
Deserted
.... ...
. .
. .
164
Excused on score of sickness
. .
. . . .
95
Sent to jail on hard labour
. .
. .
33
Fined..
..
. .
. .
3 3
Warned and discharged ...
. .
. .
11
Total
..
336
As a rule, diseased women try to evade examinations through fear of being
detained in hospital. There are chiefly two ways which they practise to gain
this end : some declare at the time of examination that they have their menstrual
periods upon them, and are consequently not in a fit state to be examined ; it is
not uncommon for them to stain their clothes in order further to delude ; in this
way they postpone the discovery of their disease till a subsequent examination ;
last year this was to a certain extent avoided by detaining menstrual women in
hospital till they were examined ; the Chief Commissioner however declared this
practice illegal, so that it was discontinued : other women avoid examination by
absenting themselves, and so escape their disease being discovered till appre-
hended, which discovery is frequently further delayed in consequence of their
feigning illness ; such women as a rule, when examined, are found totally unfit for
association, and I have no doubt that in this way much disease is propagated.
IX.—Arrangements for treating women of town and cantonment.
There have been 805 admissions during the year, which with , 123 remaining
from 1878 gives a total of 928 treated in hospital. Although the admissions are
less than last year, when they amounted to 941, the daily average is higher,
being 122.14. The higher average is owing to the longer periods the women
have been resident in hospital, partly caused by a number of incurable women who
may be said to be always there (10 women were in hospital the whole year, and
three of these have been resident there for two years), and partly to the indolent
character of the sores many women affected with syphilis have exhibited. The
diseased number of admissions is especially marked in primary syphilis and
gonorrhœa, while in secondary syphilis it is less marked.
Nothing like virulence has been observed amongst the local diseases, although
the indolence exhibited by sores has been marked : this I attribute chiefly to dirt
and neglect before they have come under treatment. Constitutional effects as a
rule are more severe, especially those of a tertiary type amongst the Telinga
class.
There have been eight deaths during the year, chiefly the result of tertiary
syphilis, and the number of deaths would have been greater, but as a rule women
when dying ask to be allowed to go home to die.
The following table shows the admissions under their various heads for each
month during the year :—
Month.
P r i m a r y s y p h i l i s .
S e c o n d a r y s y p h i l i s .
G o n o r r h œ a
O t h e r v e n e r e a l a f f e c t i o n s .
T o t a l
January ..
. .
. .
..
42
38
12
..
88
February ..
. .
. .
. .
40
18
14
..
72
March
..
. . . .
. .
. . . .
54
7
17
1
79
April
....
. .
. .
..
50
9
16
..
75
May
..
. .
. .
. .
39
9
8
. . . .
56
June
..
. .
. .
. .
27
6
7
..
40
July
....
. . . .
. .
. . . .
54
16
8
. . . .
78
August ..
..
..
..
36
16
12
..
64
September
..
. .
34
7
8
1
50
October ..
. . . .
. .
. .
43
32
9
1
85
November ....
. . . .
. .
. .
36
10
10
2
58
December ..
..
. .
. .
44
2
12
2
60
Total
. .
499
166
133
7
805