Report of the Committee appointed by the Secretary of State for India to inquire into the rules, regulations, and practice in the Indian cantonments and elsewhere in India, with regard to prostitution and to the treatment of venereal disease : together with minutes of evidence and appendices.

  • Great Britain. India Office. Committee on Prostitution in India.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Committee appointed by the Secretary of State for India to inquire into the rules, regulations, and practice in the Indian cantonments and elsewhere in India, with regard to prostitution and to the treatment of venereal disease : together with minutes of evidence and appendices. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

    14/524
    The women indicated by M. do not appear to have been detained in hospital during the period of menstruation. In addition to that general register two Mahaldarnis kept separate and similar Min.3440-43. registers; one was seen by Dr. Bushnell, but lias not been produced. The other (18th Hussars) has been produced before the Committee, and found to accord with the general register, and to be in the same handwriting, with the like entries and initials. Other Mahaldarnis in other regimental chaklaskept similar books, and apparently all BeP.s.c.i<>89 such books were kept for the information of commanding officers. The register of women attending for periodical examination shows that over a period Min.3464. 0f the last six months of the stay of each regiment down to the final date of examination (except the two regiments which left in 1891), the percentages of results were as follows : 75 5 per cent, of the women attending- were fit. (healthy), 109 per cent, were diseased 13*6 per cent, had menses. Min. i33i-3. The correspondence book produced corroborated Dr. Kate Bushnell's evidence as to its contents. Mm H4M217 29'• At Meerut-—The contagious branch of the Cantonment Hospital is the old Min.3105-7. ' Lock Hospital. The main building is not yet. built. In this branch the in-patients w.,3108 are women only ; there is no male ward. In 1892 all cases, viz , 172, except six (or -£K31?9',„ seven) were venereal, and the patients prostitutes. id., 3416-17. ' . ' 1 il l ii • I The examination is conducted by the dhai* in the presence of the doctor, who makes a further examination if signs of disease are present. M08-U. The hospital records comprised a list (or register) of prostitutes attending periodical examination, classified according to regiments, including also Sadr bazar women; the final date of examination of all being 24th April 1893. They showed results of each examination as follows :—83-3 per cent, of women attending were healthy, 4*7 per cent, of women attending were diseased, 12.0 per cent, of women attending had menses. It does not appear whether the last-mentioned cases were detained in hospital or not. There were other records in books, &c, as to the contents of which evidence was given Bv.s.c. a,)d fully described in Dr. Cleg horn's note, and which confirms Dr. Bushnell's original 3320, etieg. evidence in that respect. 30. At Lucknow.—The contagious branch of the General Cantonment Hospital is the old Lock Hospital—it is 200 yards away from the main building. For about 20 Min.3H3-9. months (1891-2) it wits used as a general hospital. The in-patients were always venereal Min.3116-21. cases, and only prostitutes admitted. Ev.s.c.2i85. Lists of prostitutes examined we re formerly kept, but afterwards destroyed, and no ev.s.c. 2288. information as to results ot the examinations is now forthcoming. ev.s.c.2255. Women when menstruating were not examined, but w re allowed to remain in the hospital during the period. THE PERIODICAL EXAMINATION AT THE THREE CANTONMENTS CONSIDERED. 31 We ha\e now briefly reviewed all the salient facts as to the practice in the three Cantonments named, as proved by the evidence both non-official and official. We con- sider the latter not only confirms the former in all essential particulars, but also explains and supplements it to a remarkable extent. But of the facts so proved, one practice stands out in a peculiarly prominent manner, i.e., the periodical examination. It is now clearly demonstrated that this practice was carried on in the three particular Cantonments reported on by the Special Commission, viz., Lucknow, Meerut. and Umballa during greater or lesser periods, extending betwen 1888 and 1893. This examination was indeed identical both in purpose and method with that which prevailed before 1888, but differed from it as respects the nature and amount of compulsion, a point more fully discussed in the next paragraph. It appears therefore expedient at this point to consider this identity in the light of the Report of the Special Commission before passing to the consideration of other Cantonments as to which the evidence is less complete. We infer from the language of the Report (par. 73) the opinion that the only examination expressly sanctioned by the Rules of 1890, is the occasional examination of persons supposed to be diseased, and that view was supported by Mr. Ibbetson's testimony, and in such opinion we concur. Min. 1182-99. Min.1063-1146 Ev. S. C 2796. Min. 2928. ° Dhai—a woman, usually an old prostitute, employed in the Lock Hospital to look after the prostitutes ; sometimes called a matron, but in no way corresponding to that title as used in England ; sometimes employed as a Mahaldarni, and sometimes erroneously called so. (_See foot-note, page 12.)