Prostitution in Paris : Dr. Chapman's replies to the remarks of M. le Fort and Mr. Berkeley Hill, on certain passages in the articles on prostitution published in The Westminster Review.

  • John Chapman
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Prostitution in Paris : Dr. Chapman's replies to the remarks of M. le Fort and Mr. Berkeley Hill, on certain passages in the articles on prostitution published in The Westminster Review. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    “ M. Lecour lias within the last few weeks published a larger work on the same subject (‘ La Prostitution a Paris et h Londres.’ Paris, Asse- lin, 1870). On page 86 of this work he gives the number of venereal patients admitted in 18G7 and 18G8 to these two hospitals, Lourcine and Midi. Thev were :— 1867. 1868. Lourcine ... 1,030 ... 1,024. Midi ... 3,226 ... 3,185 Consequently, notwithstanding the growth of Paris, and the increased facilities of communication in seventeen years, the number of patients admitted to the first of these hospitals is actually lower than (according to the Westminster Reviewer) it was in 1851, and at the second, lower than it was in 1852, according to the same author. Nor has the dimi- nution been caused by the reception of this class of patients into general hospitals, for no change in the mode of distributing the patients in the Paris hospitals has taken place since 1855. “ The Reviewer states (page 48) that a large number of syphilitic patients are treated surreptitiously in the general hospitals, an absurdity patent to any one familiar with the Parisian system of hospital admini- stration, and easily refuted. M. Lecour (page 86) gives the number of syphilitic patients admitted into each of the general hospitals at Paris in 1867 and 1868. They altogether numbered 1,403 in 1867, and 1,551 in 1868.” It is to be regretted that M. Lecour has not given the number of patients admitted during a larger number of consecutive years than 2; for seeing that during the 5 years, 1851-55 inclusive, there was a great and gradual increase in the number of admis- sions to both hospitals, it would have been satisfactory to have learnt whether the numbers of admissions in 18G7-68 were ex- ceptionally low, or whether the fall from 1855 has been gradual. In any case, however, I was warranted in pointing to the fact of the increase, which took place prior to 1856, as one tending to support my main argument; but, of course, if a larger experi- ence does not justify me in availing myself of that fact, as I have done, I cheerfully abandon it. I must, however, add a few words of comment to those of Mr. Berkeley Hill, on the statistical facts in question. I am by no means sure, as he is, that the diminu- tion in the number of admissions to the Lourcine and Midi during 1867-68 has not “been caused by the reception of this class of patients into general hospitals ; ” neither am I sure, as he is, that “ no change in the mode of distributing the [venereal] patients in the Paris hospitals has taken place since 1855.” I have the high authority of M. Le Fort for stating that syphilitic patients are now freely admitted into the general hospitals of Paris; now, if they are, such patients are especially likely, as it seems to me, to seek admission to those hospitals rather than go to the Lourcine or to the Midi, inasmuch as their mere presence at either of those special hospitals marks them as contaminated
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