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187
GREAT BRITAIN.
There has been no form of regulation of prostitution in this country since the repeal of the C.D.Acts in 1888 and this only applied to certain areas occupied by the fighting forces. It was claimed by the advocates of the C.D. Acts and by many military authorities, the health of the troops wero protectod
The following by this form of the regulation of prostitution. table showing the fall in the incidence of venereal disoaso among the troops since the repeal of the Acts gives the facts
Year.
United Kingdom.
Aldershot.
London.
1885
275.4
321.7
339.4
1886
237.2
301.1
259.8
1897
127.5
130.0
165.2
1898
121.3
115.2
160.5
1899
111.2
96.2
150.2
1900
85,9
84.4
132.2
1901
95.6
69.8
121.1
1902
110.1
86.0
179.1
1903
109.1
119.7
165.4
1904
107.6
79.1
165.2
1905
90.5
79.9
176.5
1906
81.8
69.0
186.0
1907
72.0
60.0
162.0
1908
68.0
52.0
99.0
1909
66.0
48.0
160.0
•
1910
65.0
50.0
137.0
1911
60.5
44.1
93.2
1912
56.4
37.1
107.1
1913
50.9
29.8
95.6
This fall in incidence is attributable to the improved social conditions provided for the soldier, increased recrea- tion, botter social conditions for the civil population, the Suppression of known centres of prostitution and the improve- ments due to the introduction of the modern methods of diagnosis and treatment.
The Royal Commission appointed in 1913 reported in 1915. The estimates given by witnesses before that Commission placed the incidence of disease in this country as 10% of the whole
or had been, infected population in the large cities that were, with syphilis. This was the estimate given by Sir Frederick
As there was no system of notification and no provision of facilities for treatment it is impossible to test the accur- acy of these figures.
Mott.
In
Since 1916, the Government had made provision, with the co-operation of the Local Authorities, for facilities for free treatment for the whole population to be provided and at the
are 191 free clinics in existence. present moment there addition to this a steady campaign of popular enlightenment directed to the general public is supplementary to the educa- tional efforts in the same direction made during the War to the
This has had the beneficial result of men in the Services. securing that in 1920, 105,000 persons presented themselves for
in 1921, 84,000: in 1922, treatment at the free clinics:
The figures of 1922 73,000, thus showing a stoady decrease. shew a decrease of 39% in the case of syphilis since 1920: cases of gonorrhoea shew a docrease of 26%
The present estimate based on the information obtained from the clinics and elsewhere is that there are not more than 200,000 fresh infections annually.
to