PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
CO. 882
6
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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Do they come to you or do you visit them at their houses?
Both.
Do
you see them regularly?
Yes.
Are you employed by the brothel-keepers or by the women themselves? What do you mean by employed?
Dr. Simon-Are the keepers responsible for the business part of the transaction? The girls do not come separately, and I think the brothel-keepers pay. You look to them for payment?
Yes.
The Chairman-Do these brothel-keepers send for you or do the women come themselves?
It depends. You are talking about Chinese. Japanese girls come independently, more so than the Chinese. The Japanese girls are more free agents than the Chinese, though not strictly free. There are some Japanese girls in the hands of their keepers, just the same as the Chinese are. The Chinese are divided into two classes, one a strictly Chinese class, the other an all nationality class. The all nationality class come to see me when they are ill; the strictly Chinese class they either come with the brothel- keepers or else they come with their mothers or the persons who stand in the place of a mother, but as a rule the brothel-keepers bring them.
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Do you, from your experience, know that venereal disease is very prevalent among prostitutes?
Yes, extremely prevalent.
Among the prostitutes of which nationality is it most prevalent?
It is prevalent amongst all of them, the Chinese chiefly. I think there are very fow Chinese prostitutes in Singapore who either have not venereal disease or have not had it.
It is more 'prevalent than it was then?
I don't think there is room for any increase; I think they all have venereal disease, and have had it for years. It can't increase much more.
In the generations now growing up it will increase perhaps?
I don't know whether there are now more prostitutes in Singapore than there were formerly. I have no means of judging. I know what there used to be. In the days of the old Lock Hospital they were registered. When I was in charge we examined about 350 of the all nationality class every week, including Chinese, Japanese, Klings, and Europeans. The strictly Chinese class were examined once a month; they were about 3,000. At the present time I should think there are just as many pro- fessional prostitutes as formerly, and far more " sly " prostitutes than there used to be, particularly amongst the Europeans and Malays. The examination of the strictly Chinese class used to take about a week in each month. It was a dreadful business. I was not quite so expert as Dr. Rowell or Mr. Leicester. I could do about 110 an hour, Mr. Leicester about 115, and Dr. Rowell about 120 an hour; and if you work that into 3,000, you will see how many days it took.
What forms of disease do you most commonly meet?
Constitutional syphilis in all its forms.
Do you treat many cases of primary syphilis?
Not amongst Chinese; amongst Europeans a few, and amongst Japanese. I doubt whether the Chinese generally understand the importance of the sore. I think that is the reason they do not come. They look upon it as they look upon a sore on the finger. They don't know that it will lead to constitutional trouble.
Does that sore heal of itself?
They either don't do anything to it or they use Chinese medicine. They probably have a Chinese doctor, or the brothel-keeper puts on a little caustic.
When they get very bad then they come to you?
When they begin to get sores and skin diseases then they come to me.
When you find a woman diseased, do you tell her or her keeper that she must not
have intercourse?
Yes, always. It depends on the form of course.
Have you any assurance that it is kept?
None at all.
In fact, you think it is not kept?
In many cases I have no doubt it is not kept.
Over what period has your experience of venereal disease in Singapore extended? Seventeen years.
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Has venereal disease increased in Singapore during the last ten years, in extent and virulence?
I have got the figures of the hospital at Kandang Kerbau There is one point which will be of great interest to you. During 1887, the year before the repeal of the C.D.O., there were admitted into Kandang Kerbau Hospital 1,755 females. Only one of these was admitted for constitutional syphilis, the others were all soft chancre and clap, and constitutional diseases not syphilitic. Since then I have tabulated the figures for constitutional syphilis to show the increase in the hospital. In 1888 there were 103 admissions for all causes, two cases of constitutional syphilis, and no deaths. In 1889 there were 157 admissions, 11 cases of constitutional syphilis, and one death; in 1890, 122 admissions, 4 for constitutional syphilis, no deaths; in 1891, 88 admissions, 11 for syphilis, one death; in 1892, 149 admissions, 22 for syphilis, no death; in 1893, 169 admissions, 22 cases of syphilis, no death; in 1894, 208 admissions, 54 cases of syphilis, no death; in 1895, 211 admissions, 49 cases of syphilis, 3 deaths; in 1896, 285 admis- sions, 77 cases of syphilis, 5 deaths; in 1897, 239 admissions, 85 cases of syphilis, and 5 deaths. In 1897, however, there were 10 deaths due to tubercle of the lungs, which was probably indirectly due to syphilis.
By all diseases, you mean all venereal diseases?
No, no, I mean diseases generally, and the figures given are the cases of constitu- tional syphilis occurring amongst them.
When you put it down syphilis, is that necessarily the cause of their going to hos- pital?
Yes, that is what they are admitted for.
The 1,755 in 1887 were people sent to hospital under the C.D. Act?
Yes, they were persons detained by me for venereal disease. When the Ordinance was repealed the numbers fell. If you wish for more figures I have also got the figures of the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. In 1886 there were 247 males admitted. These were for diseases which are put down in the books as syphilitic, but at that time we unfor- tunately had a system of grouping soft chancres and hard chancres together. I have, however, taken out from the returns all those cases which are entered as constitutional syphilis. In 1886, 247 males were admitted for venereal disease, 137 for constitutional syphilis, there being 7 deaths; females 1, no deaths. In 1887, 281 admissions males, 158 constitutional syphilis, 20 deaths; females 5, no deaths. In 1888, 395 admissions males, 175 constitutional syphilis, 22 deaths; females 3, no deaths; in 1889, 670 ad- missions males, 220 constitutional syphilis, 21 deaths; females 3, 1 death. In 1890, 735 admissions males, 250 constitutional syphilis, 35 deaths; females 3, 1 death. In 1891, admissions males 763, 309 constitutional syphilis, 27 deaths; females 1, 1 death. In 1892, admissions males 667, 320 constitutional syphilis, 14 deaths; females 13, 2 deaths. In 1893, admissions males 758, 399 constitutional syphilis, 28 deaths; females 6, 2 deaths. In 1894, admissions males 722, 370 constitutional syphilis, 35 deaths; females 9, 4 deaths. In 1895, admissions males 700, 386 constitutional syphilis, 53 deaths; females 10, 4 deaths. In 1896, admissions males 781, 396 constitutional syphi- lis, 47 deaths; females 9, 5 deaths. In 1897, admissions males 793, 363 constitutional syphilis, 18 deaths; females 11, 3 deaths. The deaths for 1897 ought really to be greater, because some of the constitutionally syphilitic people were re-admitted for other diseases: 2 for dysentery, which might or might not have been syphilitic; 9 for beri-beri, which of course was not syphilitic; 2 for debility, which probably was syphi- litic; 7 for anæmia, probably syphilitic; 5 for diarrhoea; and one for phthisis, probably also syphilitic; and of these 20 died.
The females, were they all admitted for constitutional syphilis? Yes, all the females were admitted for constitutional syphilis. The repeal of the C.D. Act took effect on January 1st, 1888?
Yes, 1887 was the last year of it.
Do you think venereal disease has become virulent during the last 10 years, as well as more common?
Yes.
Had you any experience of the working of the C.D. Act?
Yes.
I think you said that the figures for the last few years showed that syphilis was in- creasing?
Yes, although I formed the opinion when on rounds in the hospital that the con- stitutional forms of syphilis were not so virulent as they had been. That was merely an opinion, however, but the figures for the last few years seem to bear me out in that
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