The Contagious Diseases Act, or a few suggestions for controling [i.e. controlling] men as well as women.

Date:
[between 1870 and 1879]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Contagious Diseases Act, or a few suggestions for controling [i.e. controlling] men as well as women. 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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    CHAPTER III. Extension of the Act xxxix. Victoria, cap. 35 There should be a bond fide examination of our soldiers on their entering our service, instead of the present one, which—at least in the case of officers—is little more than nominal. And the practice of exam- ining the men periodically should also be revived. The object which Government had in view for insti- tuting periodical examinations under the Contagious Diseases Acts being; to ensure the health of the sol- diers, one would have thought that a more direct way of accomplishing this object would have been to examine the soldiers themselves, rather than the women with whom they cohabited. Such a practice is adopted (it is said) with great success in the Belgian Service ; and twenty or thirty years ago it was also the practice in our own. The soldiers were examined once a month, or once a fort- night, by their regimental surgeons, and, if found diseased, were sent into hospital. This was not only a more direct method of arresting the spread of disease in a garrison than the present one of inspecting- women, but it was also preferable in other respects ; for it was less easily evaded, and it embraced a larger number of individuals in its scope. The reason of its being discontinued was chiefly the demoralising effect which it was supposed to have on the soldier's mind, by violating his sense of delicacy. But if the periodical examinations of women now adopted do not deteriorate the prostitute's mind (which is the opinion of those who are best acquainted with the working of the new Act) it