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women, who should be registered, escape registration by denying consort with
European soldiers. Stringent orders have again been issued to the police on this
subject, but until all public women—excepting the better class of dancing women
both in city and cantonments—are registered, the lock hospital will never be efficient
to prevent disease. The Magistrate strongly recommends a measure of this character.
The efficiency of the military police should also be increased. Coolie women
should never be allowed access to the neighbourhood of the barracks, even to bring
their husbands' food. These women are the real source of most of the disease com-
plained of.
The Magistrate thinks the extreme repulsiveness of the subject may prevent
its business-like treatment. As a matter of fact, the registered women are ugly, many
old. This it is which makes the soldier go elsewhere, and, until the registration
of a better class of women can be brought about, this state of things cannot be
remedied. To bring it about, the Magistrate recommends that the position of the
registered women should be improved. Especially, proper quarters should be provided
for them, and inspections should be less frequently effected. The Government order
is, that the inspections shall be effected once a fortnight. At Meerut they are effected
once a week. The women greatly dislike medical inspection and refuse registration
to evade it. The Magistrate directs attention to the fact that the names on the register
fell from 111 on 1st of January to 74 on 31st December, while the mean strength of
the garrison increased.
21. The Commissioner of the Division records the opinion that the report has
been very carefully drawn up by the Medical Officer ; that all authorities concerned
have lent a willing aid, and yet that the results have been unfavourable. Failure was
due to excessive prevalence of disease amongst the artillery soldiers.
Last year stress was laid on the necessity of a better registration by the civil
police, and a better stoppage of the soldiers' access to unlicensed women by the
military police. Improvement appears to have resulted as regards two corps, but a
third runs up the total to an amount exceeding all previous years. Some part of
this excessive disease, may have been due, to the presence of the European woman
mentioned by the Medical Officer.
5.—LUCKNOW.
21. During the year 1881 a monthly average of 87 women remained on the
register, against 95 in 1880, and 119 in 1879.
The results of the management have been unsatisfactory. For the eight years,
1874-81, the ratios of admissions to hospital for venereal disease, amongst the Euro-
pean garrison, have been 298, 389, 321, 206, 292, 171, 191, and 261 per 1,000 of
daily average strength.
22. The Medical Officer reports a considerable decrease in the number of
registered women during the year. On the 1st January 188 names were entered in
the register, on the 31st December only 61—a decrease due to the fact, that women
are able to remove their names from the register and take up their abode in places
outside, but bordering upon, the cantonments. Twenty-five women were newly
registered during the year ; several of them had been formerly registered, and sought
re-admission to the register, for the benefit of treatment in hospital.
Seventy-nine cases of contagious disease occurred amongst the women, and
298 cases of minor non-venereal ailments were admitted to hospital—a fewer number
than last year—as the Medical Officer thinks that detention in hospital, for trifling
local affection, is vexatious to the women, and not required for the protection of the
soldiers. The attendance for inspection has been good. Women living in the cavalry
bazaar complained of the distance they had to go to present themselves for inspection,
and regimental arrangements were made for the examination of these women in their
lines. This plan has been useful.