Report from the Select Committee on Contagious Diseases Acts, together with the proceedings of the committee, minutes of evidence, and appendix, 1882.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on the Contagious Diseases Acts.
Date:
1882
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report from the Select Committee on Contagious Diseases Acts, together with the proceedings of the committee, minutes of evidence, and appendix, 1882. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    Report, 1882—continued. Bimbault, Stephen Francis. (Analysis of his Evidence)—continued. with men, and thereby escaping regisiration, 3230. 3362-3366 Several instiinces of prostitutes', who marry, stiil leading- a life of prostitution without being legistered; cases also of niairied women, not previously prostitutes, resorting to the practice as a means of obtaining dress, 3231-323H-—-Less open sohcitaiion in the streets since the operation of the Acts, the registered women being fewer in number, 3237-3242. Belefthit the Acts have had no effect in Maidstone in preventinii' juvenile depravity, there bi ing a Lireat and growing amount of juven le precocity in vice; shocking illus- trations to this effect, 3243-3254. 3293-3302. 3381, 3382 Practice of the women to live separately, or with one or two other women, there being no longer any brothels where many live together, 3255. 3273. Entire inaccuracy and inadequacy ol Captain Harris' return of the number of public- houses and beerhouses in Maidstone, in 1879 and 1880, where prostitution was carried on, 32,56-3272 Insufficiency also of Captain Harris' return of the number of private houses where «omen reside and practise prostitution, 3273-3279 Much larger number of juvenile prostitutes than are returned by Captain Hanis, 3280-3293 Several instances of girls under seventeen and under sixteen years of age who practise prosti- tution ; case of a girl only thirteen years old found by witness in a brothel, 3^285-3302. 3416-3427. Reference to the official return of the number of prostitutes returned to friends as very mi>leading in rtspect of their reclamation, 3303-3309 Rescue of thirty-nine prosti- tutes since May 1880 through the Deaconess' Institution; in only three cases were girls introduced to the institution by the police under the Acts, 3310-3316. 3324-3326 Special difficulty in the reclamation of tlie registered and older women, 3317-3320. 3383, 3384 Comment upon the Jiule aid received by the police under the Acts in the work of private rescue and reclamation, 3321-3327. 3385-3388. Conclusion as to the demoralising effect of the Acts in Maidstone upon young men by reason of the supposed immunity fiom disease; testimony of Mr. Henry Bridge, an employer of labour, to this effect, 3328-3333. 3351-3356. 3428-3441 Considerable nunibers of lespectable people in tlie town who seem not to understand the Acts; strong opposition on the part of religious bodies, 3334-3340. Further statement as to the beneficial effect of voluntary efforts in Maidstone, move especially since the introduction of the Acts, 3341-3344. 3517, 3518. 3530-3532- Doubt as to population geneially havinsi become more immoral of late years, though there is good ground for concluding that clandestine prostitution has increased through tlie Acis, 3343-3356 Deterrent effect, theoretically, of the Acts as recjards young gills, whilst they operate at the same time in increasing clandestine prostitution, 3357- 3366. 3414,3415. Careful inquiries upon which witness calculates a much larger number of prostitutes than are on the regisiei, or are interfeied with by the special police under the Acts; cautious action of the special police before putting women on the register, 3367-3377. 3389-3396 Explanation as to the non-registered and clandestme prostitutes being of a better class than the registered women, and as to their goino, when diseased, to private practitioners instead of to Lock hospitals, 3397-3407 Keli.ince placed upon the state- ments of the women themselves as to their being upon the register, 3408-3413. Opportunities of witness for arriving at the age of the juvenile prostitutes in the town, 3415-3427. 3520-3522 Mistaken view of young men as to immunity from disease in the case of registered uumen subject to medical examination; fallacy in this respect under which they are in favour of the Acts, 3429-3441. 3492-3495. 3504-3510 Inability of witness to state the opinions of the loci! magislrat-s and others at Maidstone as to the operation of the Acts: theie have been three or four petitions for their repeal, 3442-3446. Furtlicr statement as to the action of the special police at Maidstone, and their failure tn place on the regist<rr many women who prnclise prostitution, 3447-3468 Careful proceedings of the inspector under the Acts, there being now no complaints of respectable women being molested, though there were such c<m:plaints in former years, 3457-3471- 35'9- 3525-3528 Inciease of prostitution generally in the town, and juvenile depravity, but not as a direct consequence of the Acts, 3472-3477. Information relative to the several petitions against the Acts, one of these having been from ladies, whikt another had only twenty-four signatures, but of an influential character, 3478-3484. 3496 3503 Cjradiiai discontinuance of the strong objection at first held against the Act by the registered women, 3485 Absence of complaint as to the con- duet of the women in going to and from the medical examination room; disreputable locality in which the loom is situated, 3486-3491. 3553, 3554- Care taken by the clandestine prostitutes to keep their conduct secret from the police, 35~35i6. 3523, 3524 Entirely false impression conveyed by the official return of the number of prostitutes in the town, 3529 Repudiation of the theory that there should be a certain number of prostitutes in proportion to the population, 3538-3540. 340. 5 B 3 Alteration