I P / 1 9 / H C . 4
N o . 8 0 8
/46
FROM
L INDSAY NEILL, ESQUIRE, c. s.,
OFFG. SECRETARY TO THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER,
Central Provinces.
To
THE SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA,
HOME DEPARTMENT.
Dated Nagpur, the 10th March 1882.
SIR,
I am directed to submit the reports with the prescribed Statements on
the working of the Lock Hospitals at Pachmarhi, Saugor, Kamptee and Jubbul-
pore for the year 1881. To facilitate comparison a statement is appended showing
in a collated form the returns of these four institutions for 1880 and 1881.
Pachmarhi
2. At Pachmarhi there was a marked decrease both among the troops and
among the registered women admitted to hospital for vene-
real disease. In respect to the men the admissions
numbered eight, and it is reported that only in three cases was disease con-
tracted on the plateau. Only six women were treated for disease. The strength
of the troops kept at the Pachmarhi Depot is small, and as the civil population is
not as yet large and women of immoral character soon become well known, it is
only natural that the registration of prostitutes should be efficient. The Assistant
Apothecary in charge of the Lock Hospital remarks that the Native police do
not appear to exert themselves in suppressing illicit prostitution. It is however
not surprising that this should be the case. The only troops at Pachmarhi are
Europeans, and the Native police are naturally averse to interfering with women
resorted to by them.
Saugor.
3. In the Cantonment of Saugor there was more venereal disease among the
European Foot Regiment stationed there during the
greater part of the year, and more also among the regis-
tered women. It is not easy for a non-professional to judge from the returns
whether the type of disease among the men corresponds to that shown by the
women. It would, however, appear that there has been a marked increase of
leucorrhœa among the women, the figures for the years 1879, 1880 and 1881
being 36, 66 and 85 respectively. The Medical officer in charge of the institu-
tion at Saugor remarks on the difficulty in reaching the unlicensed women.
Soldiers, he reports, will not assist, and the police do so indifferently. The Chief
Commissioner thinks that too much should not be expected of the Civil police
in the way of information regarding women who on the sly prostitute themselves
to soldiers. Much interference would be resented and would probably bring about
a collision between the Civil Police and the soldiery. It is from the Regimental
police that most aid should be expected, and such police should certainly, as the
Medical Officer points out, be able to suppress illicit prostitution in the vicinity
of the Regimental lines. It is, however, satisfactory to find that at Saugor the
registered women do not hesitate to point out unlicensed women who consort
with soldiers.
Kamptee
4. At Kamptee there is a slight actual increase in the number of admis-
sions into hospitals for venereal disease among European
troops, but a decrease in disease relatively to the strength
of troops. The average strength of the European force was 763 in 1880, and 889
in 1881; the admissions to hospital for disease were 124 and 129 respectively.
As it appears that primary syphilis has largely decreased both amongst the
troops and amongst the registered women, it would appear that registration at
Kamptee is at least so far effective that it reaches the women who, as a rule,
bestow their favors on soldiers.