Report of Royal Commission upon the Administration and Operation of the Contagious Diseases Acts.
- Great Britain. Royal Commission on the Contagious Diseases Acts
- Date:
- 1871
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Report of Royal Commission upon the Administration and Operation of the Contagious Diseases Acts. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.
750/952 page 652
![FORTY- FIRST DAY. Mr. Thomas. 5 May 187 Police Act alone ; but then I say, seeing that it has been extended in certain directions, there is no objec- tion that I can see to extending it still further. 18,152. ( Viscount Hardmge.) How do you account for the Haymarket being in a better state noAV than it has been for some years past. Is it in consequence of the Act to which you are alluding ?—The Hay- market has been the subject of very close observation, and much effort for many years past, as you are aware, has been directed towards its improvement. A few years back a move was made by some of the inhabi- tants for the closing of the refreshment houses between 1 o'clock in the morning and 4 or 5 o'clock. It was my pleasure to co-operate with the inhabitants at tliat time, and the object was gained. Now respectable places of amusement, if I may call them so—I may name the A , which is always closed punctually at ]2, turn out their customers, but previous to the passing of that Act, there were a number of smaller places into which the disengaged prostitutes, and half drunken men would go, and for the purpose of collecting information I have visited, I think, nearly the whole of those places, and have seen the arrivals at 2, 3, and 4 o'clock in the morning, till daylight. The Act passed, and through the police it was enforced with very great vigour, and the effect was something marvellous. I went out soon after in the companion- ship of a friend to go amongst the women, and ascertain from them what their feeling respecting it Avas, and T may tell you that they cursed Sir George Grey and his Act, and everybody who had had a hand in it, and I must confess that I should not have liked some of them to know that 1 had taken a humble part in bringing the thing about, for I do not think that I should be here to-day, for it broke the neck of the business of many of these prostitutes, and in addi- tion to that it Avas the means of ruining many of the wretches who kept these places open ; but that was not all ; that effort led to the formation of an associa- tion which was designated the West London Associa- tion, consisting of a portion of the inhabitants of St. Anne's, Westminster, St. George's, Planover Square, St. James', Piccadilly, and St. Martin's in the Fields, and through the instrumentality of that locality, about 100 brothels Avere closed in those four parishes. The consequence was, that instead of women being able to take their customers just across the street into Coventry Court, or Panton Street, and those places, they had to go off 3 or 4 miles, and these women told me, not knowing Avho I was, they said, Why oiir customers Avill not go with us. The vigorous enforcement of those two laws. Sir Richard Mayne sending his men to keep the pavement clear as far as possible, and the diminishing of those brothels have tended very much to diminish prostitution in the Haymarket. 18.153. {Chairinaii.) To bring you more particu- larly to the legislation, which is the subject of this enquiry, you are no doubt acquainted with these Acts ?—I am. 18.154. First, have you read the earliest Act of 1864. I will tell you what the leading principle of that Act is. It is to enable the police to bring up for the purpose of examination and detention in hospital any woman who is actually infected Avith contagious disease. You Avill observe that that is entirely distinct from the subsequent system of periodical examination for the same purpose. Under the earlier Act no Avoman could be detained in hospital or subjected to ex- amination if she Avas not found infected with contagious disease. Do you think it justifiable that the laAV should give poAver to the police to visit brothels, and bring up Avomen Avhom they have reason to believe are in a state to communicate contagious disease to the public, for the purpose of detention and cure in a certified hospital ?—My answer to that question must be twofold. In the first place I venture the opinion that the police are the most incompetent people in all the world to detect the disease, that is unless I am informed they receive medical training on this par- ticular head for that particular purpose. 18.155. No, the state of the law as it originally existed Avas this, that it was considered desirable that public prostitutes actually in a state to communicate contagious disease, should be detained in hospital for the purpose of being cured, and in order to find out those Avomen a select body of persons Avere deputed to make inquiries and to the best of their information to bring any woman Avhom they believed to be in that con- dition before a magistrate, and to state their reasons for their belief, and if a magistrate Avas satisfied those reasons Ayere valid, he Avas empowered to order the Avoman to be examined by a professional gentleman. Do you think that objectionable ?—I do most deci- dedly, and I Avill give you my reason. Anything in that direction has a tendency to demoralize Avomen still further. God knows 1 am prepared to do any- thing I can, or suggest anything, that my experience enables me to do, to check that tei'rible disease; but to check it, or attempt to check it, although I may here state that I do not believe in the arrangement, and if the thing had remained as originally it was liut, I should not have troubled myself to come here to-day, because, after all the experience I have had and I am quite sure I have over 15,000 to see me, and amongst them, of coui'se, many diseased, I could not teU, and therefore hoAv is a policeman Avho has had, say five years or 10 years' experienee in the force, to detect it. The examination of the parts must be made. 18.156. I do not think you quite appreciate the question. The policeman in discharging this duty muct act on the best information he can obtain, just as he does Avhen he charges any person Avith ordinary crime. It is not for him to determine Avhether the accused is justly accused or not; that is for the decision of the legal tribunal. All that Avas done by this Act was to empower the police to use the information, Avhich they haA'e it peculiarly in their poAver to collect, against any Avonian believed to be in that state, and when they had collected that evidence to fake the Avoman before a magistrate, stating the ground on Avhich they charged her, and if the magistrate was satisfied that those grounds Avere sufficient he ordered the woman to be subjected to personal examination. Do you think that justifiable ?—I should certainly object to it. 18.157. Why?—For the reason I have given. First of all it has a degrading tendency ; and secondly, such an arrangement is unnecessary for the simple reason that I have ever found a woman Avhen affected glad to get cured. 18.158. Do you think it desirable to establish hospitals for the express purpose of dealing Avith this particular disease ?—I am inclined to think that it Avould be better if Lock Avards could be added to our existing hospitals. 18.159. That is Avhat [ mean, either hospitals or Lock wards ?—I am decidedly in favour of Lock wards being added to our present hospitals ; my reason for that and separate establishments is this : pros- titutes as a class are reeiaimable, and they are so just in proportion as they are judiciously dealt Avitli even Avhile pursuing their wicked courses. It has been my pleasure to see many women reclaimed after four or five years of prostitution, and I have known myself more or less all that time they have come to me, that just in proportion as the better feelings retained by them during prostitution were cherished, so that they were more easily and permanently reclaimed. 18.160. You say you are in favour of the establish- ment of Lock Avards attached to the existing hospitals ? —Yes. 18.161. I presume yoiu- reason for stating that, is that you consider this disease one of a character Avhich ought to be subjected to medical treatment ?—Most decidedly. 18.162. You do not think as some persons do that it is an infliction of Providence upon vice which ought not to be interfered Avith ?—That it is an infliction I think Ave must be prepared to admit or it Avould not exist, but that it should be left to spread Avithout any](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21365945_0750.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
