The Contagious Diseases Acts : the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1864, '66, '68 (Ireland), '69, from a sanitary and economic point of view : being a paper read before the Medical Society of University College, London, on Thursday, November 30th, 1871 / by C.W. Shirley Deakin.

  • Deakin, Charles Washington Shirley.
Date:
1872
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Contagious Diseases Acts : the Contagious Diseases Acts, 1864, '66, '68 (Ireland), '69, from a sanitary and economic point of view : being a paper read before the Medical Society of University College, London, on Thursday, November 30th, 1871 / by C.W. Shirley Deakin. 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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    strange as it may sound, often to become virtuous wive3 and affectionate mothers. This is opposed to the first of the popular fallacies on this topic, viz.: That once a prostitute always a prostitute Another fallacy is, that most of these women either die of venereal diseases or come to a miserable end, for as Bacon says, Men mark the hits and not the misses thus One more unfortunate Weary of breath, Rashly importunate, Gone to her death forms a text from which to expatiate on rthe evil consequences of sin in the columns of the papers, whence it is inferred that such is the end of all the members of a class often more sinned against than sinning— the fact is that being seduced argues a certain amount of good looks, health, and personal attraction on the part of any girl, and, to the poor especially, beauty is a great snare—but, venereal diseases apart, it may be doubtful whether the prostitute has not less care, suffering, and anxiety, than her chaste and virtuous married sister. The last fallacy is, that all prostitutes are equally degraded, whereas there are not a few prostitutes who would willingly quit their life, and before whom men are ashamed to use foul and disgusting language— while on the other hand nothing is too bad for some of them to say or do.* II. FOREIGN LEGISLATION FOR PROSTITUTION. Before treating of our second point—the attempts which have been made abroad, more especially in France, to repress the diseases incident on illicit intercourse, I would remind you that the English acts owe their origin to the preponderating weight of medical opinion as to the great benefit to be derived from sanitary legislation for the diminution of these diseases.! Among the many instances of the futility of attempting to suppress prostitution, that of Berlin may be cited ; this capital has been thrice purged of prostitutes since the Reformation, and has as invariably fallen a prey to desertion of infanta, adultery, seduction, and clandestine prostitu- tion. Hence comes the government recognition of an evil which could neither be repressed or ignored with public advantage. J A like attempt was made under the Commonwealth in England, and with similar results. • Acton m Prostitution considered in its Social, Sanitary and Moral Aspects. _ and ed. 1H70. t Vide Lanctt, November 11, 1871, et seq. % Acton (Pamphlet, 1970) on Toe C'ontagtou* Diseases Acts. (Churchill, WO