A critical summary of the evidence before the Royal Commission upon the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1866-1869 / prepared for the National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, by Douglas Kingsford.

  • Kingsford, D. P. W. (Douglas P. W.)
Date:
[1869]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A critical summary of the evidence before the Royal Commission upon the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1866-1869 / prepared for the National Association for the Repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts, by Douglas Kingsford. 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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    inquiry into their operation by select Committees of each House of Parliament, are also proof of the solicitude of Gov jrnment to leave no measure untried in order to reduce the amount of venereal disease in the army and navy. (2.)—Eegulations designed to detect and secure the prompt treatment of venereal disease in soldiers and sailors have been adopted. Inspections of soldiers for the detection of venereal disease were generally discontinued in 1859. “Without such inspections,” the Committee on venereal disease reported, “the proposed periodical examination of women must lose half its fi cnin Ti.-p value,” and of the efficacy of such inspections in preventing the spread of disease and in lessening its effects on the health of the soldier, a great deal of evidence was given to that and other 1316-8^ Committees. These inspections have been now revived with limitations designed aj)parently to favour the operation of the 18^464 stations under the Acts by an order from the com’Kvcc War Office (the date of which is not given, but it was issued 1272-3 prior to 1868) all regiments are inspected on their arrival, and all men going on or returning from furlough are also inspected. This order, it appears, was issued “ at the particular request of the police ” and in order to “ give fair play to the Acts.” 1705; 171^0; In the navy no inspections seem to have been generally made until the enforcement of comparativly recent regulations. But I Lds F.vce 464 by a chcular from the Admh-alty, dated February 27th, 1865, TO46° 7056'''’ reciting that “ complaints have been received from jilaces where H.M.’s ships are stationed that venereal disease is greatly increased where leave is granted to the crews,” it is ordered that lists shall be prepared for ship-surgeons, containing the names of all un-married men under 35 years of age, excepting such men of good character as may be exempted by the commanding officer; that the names of men, who have neglected to report themselves when diseased, shall be placed on the list; that all men whose names are on the list shall be carefully inspected by the surgeon before a ship’s crew is allowed ashore in England on ai-rival from a foreign station ; and that no man be discharged from the sick list after an attack of venereal disease shall have leave on shore for a week after the date of his discharge. The benefit of this order would of course be felt at the chief naval ) Evee poi-tg^ i those under the operation of the Acts. We learn too ) I..U Kvee Health of the Navy Eeport for 1868 (p. 866) that 362-4 << periodical examinations of the men are now (i.e., in 1868) held, bringing to light cases of disease that would formerly have been