On the prevention of contagious venereal disease / by James R. Lane.

  • Lane, James R. (James Robert), 1825-1891.
Date:
1869
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the prevention of contagious venereal disease / by James R. Lane. 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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    That this is by no means a hopeless task may, I think, be abun- dantly shown by the results already obtained on a limited scale, and in certain limited areas, by means now in operation. These means no doubt entail police supervision, and to that extent recognition, of women known to be prostitutes, but this need be attended with no publicity whatever; and so far from being an encouragement to ^ immorality, as some have feared might be the case, or offering induce- 5 merits to others to enter upon such a mode of life, the effect is ’ ’ decidedly deterrent, while the influence exerted over those already 1 belonging to this unfortunate class can be clearly shown to be bene- ficial both in a moral and material point of view. It has been made 1 the means of rescuing many from a condition of degradation, and of j placing those who are really desirous to reform (and there are many I who are only too glad to have the opportunity) in a position to j obtain their livelihood by some honest employment. I shall, I think, best promote the object I have in view if I give I a brief history of what has lately been done, and is now doing, in this I direction. The frequency of venereal disease in the army and navy, . and the enormous cost entailed on the country by the invaliding of j soldiers and sailors from this cause, became at last so seriously felt, ] that in 1864 an Act was passed, the intention of which was to pro- j vide for the treatment and seclusion of diseased prostitutes in some I of the military and naval stations. It proved, however, ineffectual, because it contained no provision for the periodical examination of women, and did not give sufficient power to the authorities to erect j and maintain hospitals in which they could be treated. Conse- quently, in 1865, a medical commission, under the presidency of Mr. Skey, was appointed by the Admiralty to inquire into and report upon the whole question. In accordance with the report of this commission, an amended Act was founded, which passed through Parliament in 1866, and came into operation on the 1st October in that year. This Act specifies certain districts—military and naval stations, such as Portsmouth, Plymouth and Devonport, Aldershot, Wool- wich, Chatham, Sheerness and others—within the limits of which every woman known to be obtaining her living by prostitution is placed under police supervision, and when required to do so by the police, must present herself for examination by a medical officer appointed for the purpose, and must attend before him for periodical inspection at whatever intervals he may prescribe. If found to be suffering from any contagious venereal disease, she is sent by his order to one of the hospitals provided under the Act, and detained there till cured. While in hospital she is in the legal custody of the governing authorities of the institution, and cannot leave till she is discharged by the medical officer, with a certificate that she is free from contagious disease. Por any infraction of these rules, or