Contagious Diseases Acts : speech by Mr. Littleton of Devonport (one of the subjected districts), at the meeting in Edinburgh in favour of their total repeal, on 1st February 1875 / [Mr. Littleton].

  • Littleton, Mr.
Date:
[between 1870 and 1879?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Contagious Diseases Acts : speech by Mr. Littleton of Devonport (one of the subjected districts), at the meeting in Edinburgh in favour of their total repeal, on 1st February 1875 / [Mr. Littleton]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    require more out of the public taxation, shewing beyond all Ooubt that the cases of disease are increasing, and they must therefore have increased remuneration. Some of the reports ot the Koyal Albert Hospital are very interesting. It is stated by the promoters of these Acts, and asserted by the Govern ment officials—that is, the State-paid doctors and the spy police—that when these Acts first came into operation at Devon- port,_ there were over two thousand known prostitutes in the district, and among them were two hundred and twelve children under fifteen years of age. That is a self-evident falsehood because in the entii-e population between fifteen and thirty-five years of age, which are the usual ages to which the prostitute class belong, it would follow that one of every twelve women, married and single, in whatever station, was a prostitute. That would be the case if this statement were true. When the Eoyal Commission examined the Inspector of the Spy PoHce, he re- peated this untruth. Further, in regard to the young—those under fifteen years of age—the same argument applies. There would be one prostitute out of every eight children of fifteen years of age, if his assertion was true. When this question was put to the late house-surgeon of the Eoyal Albert Hospital, he said such a thing was impossible. Had there been two hundred and twelve prostitutes under fifteen years of age, there must have been more of them in the hospital, whereas there were only two cases in the lock wards during the first six months the lock was opened. It was stated by the officials, that when the Acts first came into operation, there were two thousand prostitutes in Devonport, whereas they were now reduced to five hundred and fifty-seven. The advocates of these Acts pointed to that as a matter of fact, and as being an overwhelming argu- ment in support of the system. They said, further, that not only had the numbers been greatly reduced, but also the diseases were greatly modified, and now existed only in the mildest form. If this be true, it must follow that after the Acts have been in operation for six years, they would have a less number of patients in the lock wards. You can judge of this from a table I have in my hand, in a Eeport for the year 1868-9 of the Eoyal Albert Hospital, signed by the chairman, and thus reliable. This table shews that when the Acts first came into operation—it was for the last half of the year 1865—the number of cases received into the lock wards during that period was one hundred and thirty-nine. From 1st October 1865 to 30th September 1866 the number of cases was three hundred and fifteen. At this date it was alleged there were upwards of two thousand registered prostitutes. Now^ if that statement be correct, that when the Acts first came into operation there were over two thousand registered prostitutes, and the diseases were of the most virulent form, it should follow that when the number was reduced to five hundred and fifty-seven, and the cases were very much modified in their character, they would have a very much smaller number of cases; but, instead of that, this table shews that the