PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 882
6
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
9-1
person the medical officer considers the attendance of such person at the hospital or dispensary inexpedient, he may dispense with such attendance, and take such measures or give such directions as to him seem fit and proper.
3. Every such person upon whom a notice as aforesaid has been served and every such person to whom directions have been given as provided in the next preceding regu- lation, shall comply with the requirements of such notice or with such directions, as the case may be.
Kandy. 552.05 498.45
Princomalie.
143.14 147.25
95
and of inducing such inmates when diseased to seek admission to hospital. In short, by instilling common sense as far as possible into the minds of men and women alike more will be done than by ordinances that can only go half way.
8. As to the employment of women doctors, I can see no objection thereto, but, considering that the most pure and the most virtuous women in European countries are nearly always attended by male doctors for the many internal ailments to which women are subject, and which necessitate close examination and touch, I in no way believe that Chinese prostitutes have a stronger feeling of delicacy on this subject. On the contrary, when the Contagious Diseases Act was suspended here, the women used voluntarily to betake themselves for examination.
I have, &c.,
W. BLACK,
Major-General, Administering the Government.
Enclosure 5 in No. 26.
The DEPUTY Assistant Adjutant-General and CHIEF Staff Officer,
Statistics of the three Stations are as follows:-
Colombo.
Ratio per 1,000 of admissions 1882-86 288.14
*
1887-97 353.45
No doubt some of the admissions at Kandy were cases contracted at Colombo, and sent for change of air, &c.
Colombo, November 9, 1898.
28461.
(No. 321.) SIR,
A. W. DUKE, M.D.,
Lieut.-Col. RA.M.C., S.M.O.
HONG KONG.
No. 27.
ACTING GOVERNOR BLACK to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.
(Received December 19, 1898.)
[Answered by No. 31.]
Government House, Hong Kong, November 18, 1898.
I REGRET the delay in giving effect to the recommendations of your despatch, No. 45, of the 18th February, 1898,* on the subject of venereal disease, a delay occa- sioned by the difficulty of devising a system which, without compulsory and periodical examination, without the registration of brothels, and without prescribing districts, could be really effective in checking the spread of this terrible disease.
2. The question has been long and often considered, and many bills have been drafted, but none have commended themselves to me as fulfilling the purpose for which they were designed. In fact, without some form of personal examination it is difficult to see how infection can be checked.
3. Regulations with regard to venereal disease are more easy to apply to Canton- ments in India, where the troops live apart from the native races, than in Victoria, where the barracks are in the streets and soldiers and sailors range freely, equally with the Chinese, over the whole city.
4. I transmit herewith the drafts of our two most recent bills. Of these the one dated 14th September, 1898, deals solely with venereal disease, while the other, dated 28th October, 1898, attempts to treat venereal as one of several infectious or contagious diseases. The first draft is that which commends itself to the Executive Council and myself, but neither bill seems to promise great relief.
5. As for the question of suppressing brothel slavery by means short of registra- tion, I am of opinion that Ordinance 9 of 1897 (the Protection of Women and Girls' Ordinance) tends as far as possible to suppress this evil, and that the ease with which women can communicate with the Police affords a ready means of escape.
6. I quite recognize how bald my utterances are on this subject, and how little the draft bills will tend to meet the case, but I can only plead that without an undiluted Contagious Diseases Act very little real good will be done.
7. Personally I believe that more good will be done by getting the brothel keepers and the men who visit brothels to understand the safeguard of cleanliness, and by im- pressing upon the brothel keepers the advantage of having inmates free from disease,
No. 20.
Enclosure 1 in No. 27.
A BILL entitled an Ordinance to suppress the spread of a certain contagious disease known as the Venereal Disease.
Whereas it is expedient to provide means to suppress the spread of a certain con- tagious disease known as Venereal Disease:
Be it enacted by the Governor of Hongkong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:-
This Ordinance may be cited for all purposes as the Venereal Disease Ordin- Short title. ance, 1898.
1.
2.
In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires,---
Interpreta
The expression "Venereal Disease means and includes primary and secondary tion.
syphilis, gonorrhoea, and soft chancres;
The word "doctor means a medical practitioner registered under The Medical Registration Ordinances, 1884 to 1893, or entitled to the benefit of section 20 of The Medical Registration Ordinance, 1884;
The expression "Hospital Authority" means and includes the Principal Civil Medical Officer and any Assistant Surgeon or Physician in the Government Civil Hospital;
The expression "Captain Superintendent means Captain Superintendent of
Police.
"
The word Brothel " means a house, room, junk, boat, or other place fre- quented or used by any two or more females for the purpose of prostitution.
The expression "occupier "includes a person having the charge, management, or (52 & 53
control of any premises or of the part of any premises, and, in the case of a Viel c. 72, house the whole of which is let out in separate tenements, or, in the case of a a 16.) lodging-house the whole of which is let to lodgers, the person receiving the rent payable by the tenants or lodgers either as his own account or as the Agent of another person, and in the case of a ship, vessel, or boat, the master or other person in charge thereof:
The word "premises" shall not include any buildings, tents, ships, vessels, or
boats belonging to Her Majesty or to any foreign Government or occupied by non-Asiatics who are not prostitutes.
3.-(1.) If any inmate of any premises used for human habitation be suffering from Report of venereal disease, then unless such premises be a hospital where persons so suffering are case of treated, the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say:-
venereal
disease. (a.) Such inmate (in this section referred to as the patient) and in default of such
Penalty inmate the person in charge of or in attendance upon the patient, and in for omis default of such person the keeper or occupier of the premises, shall, upon sion to becoming aware or having reason to believe that the patient is suffering report. from venereal disease, forthwith make a report to the Captain Superinten dent stating the name and address of the patient;
(b.) Every doctor attending on or called in to visit the patient shall forthwith, on becoming aware that the patient is suffering from venereal disease, make a report to the Captain Superintendent, stating the name and address of the patient.
J