The Contagious Disease Act at Devonport : its physical and moral results after six years working : a paper read at the Bristol Social Science Congress / by William Paul Swain.

  • Swain, William Paul, 1834-1916.
Date:
1869
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Contagious Disease Act at Devonport : its physical and moral results after six years working : a paper read at the Bristol Social Science Congress / by William Paul Swain. 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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    contains within it, a vast launder of habitual criminals. Thus in i 859. the total number of prostitutes in England and Wales was estimated at 30,780, and out of that number 22,755,- or 73'8 per cent, were proceeded against on account of crimes which they were accused of having committed.'' If then a woman voluntarily enrols herself in this class, tlidte is no injustice in her having to take the consequences of her act. But from a medical point of view, the supervision of women is of far more consequence than that of men. A women may be infected with disease for a long period, without being herself conscious of it. During this time she may be the means of communicating that disease to a very large number of men. To the man his disease is soon apparent, and he takes means to obtain a cure. But even if the woman did know the fact of her being diseased, she would conceal it, for to reveal it is, to her, loss of daily bread. I must not bo supposed to argue against any sanitary measures being applied to the male population. I think wherever practica- ble, there should be, especially in great Mercantile Cities, some stringent measures enforced, for the benefit of the Mercantile Marine, and I see no reason why systematic inspection should not be carried out, as it is strongly recommended, in the Army and Navy. In concluding this postscript I would remark that the opponents of the Act at Bristol never, that 1 heard, controverted one of the facts adduced in this Paper, neither did they answer the admirable arguments, or impugn one of the numerous statements so ably brought forward by Mr. Berkely Hill. I trust, therefore, that we may consider our Facts true, our statistics correct, and our arguments unanswerable. The “ Westminister Review, -I »ly, 1S09. p. 1st. JOHN H. U. SPRY, PRINTER, DEVON PORT.