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The servants, excepting the matron, live in the general dispensary com-
pound, and only one kitchen is made use of for both the general dispensary and
the lock-hospital.
The patients are fed at Government expense, and when in the hospital they
are supplied with suitable bedding and cots.
No change of any kind has taken place during the year.
II.—Any changes in the medical charge of the lock-hospital during the year.
Surgeon 0. Baker, Civil Surgeon of Bassein, was in charge from the 1st
January to the 31st October, and since then up to the end of the year Surgeon
S. H. Dantra ; First Class Hospital Assistant Shaik Rahim Buksh did duty the
whole year round.
III.—The extent of venereal disease among European troops as shown by the weekly returns.
No troops of any kind are stationed in Bassein.
IV.—Whether a Cantonment Sub-Committee for exercising special supervision over the rules has existed
during the year and what officers composed it.
There is no special Sub-Committee. It is entirely under the supervision of
the Deputy Commissioner, assisted by the Superintendent of Police and the Civil
Surgeon.
V.—What special measures have been taken for control of prostitution, and especially for preventing the
danger from unlicensed prostitutes frequenting the lines.
Nothing in particular has been done to control prostitution, except that the
police have kept an eye on the registered prostitutes only. I am not aware of any
special measures being adopted for bringing on the register those women who
carry on prostitution on the sly, and who, I am afraid, are in numbers.
As far as I have been able to ascertain, I find that the chief reason why
regular prostitutes object to be registered is because they have to move from
their suitable lodgings to a place where there is less chance of getting a sufficient
number of customers, the place in many cases being out-of-the-way, more especially
during the rainy season.
Repeated complaints have been made by the prostitutes to have their lines
brought nearer the town, where there is a good road. Then again they are well
aware that we are very deficient in our detection, and so won't be able to find
them out. Under such circumstances it is quite natural that they would keep
quiet ; otherwise I do not think that they would continue carrying on clandestine
prostitution, when they fully know that in case of disease they have an opportu-
nity of getting quite well without any expense.
In many cases the lines set apart for these women are so far from the chief
thoroughfares that they are quite inaccessible during the rains.
I think so long as more suitable sites are not given to these women, and so
long as we have to depend for detection on the meagre efforts of the police who
have other more legitimate duties to perform, we won't be able to stop clandestine
prostitution ; but so long as it does not do much harm, any undue interference
with the liberty of the people is, I believe, unwarrantable.
A lock-hospital in Burma is not meant for the Natives of the place, but is,
or at any rate ought to be, for the Natives of India and other foreigners who are
in the province.
A Burman has rarely to resort to a prostitute. He gets what he wants from
women of better classes, such as shop-girls and others, whose sense of morality
is often so vague that they rarely see any harm in allowing one to make love
to them, provided he is somewhat liberal in making them presents. It is only
the poor unfortunate foreigners that have to visit these depraved women, and
I think they ought to be protected by a kind Government quite as much as the
troops. No doubt a lock-hospital does not benefit the bulk of the population, but
for that reason to let the minority run the risk, not only of acquiring one of the
most horrid diseases that the flesh is subject to, but also of propagating it, seems
to me very unreasonable.