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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TEC.O. 882

6 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

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Over what period has your experience in venereal disease in Singapore extended? I have been here for about twelve years, but during the last ten years the number of cases has nearly doubled. I have been attending these girls since the abolition of the C.D. Act.

Has venereal disease increased since the abolition of the C.D. Act?

Certainly, ever so much. Formerly we very seldom had cases of syphilis, two or three, perhaps, and mainly amongst Europeans. Now, almost every second case was suffering at least from a primary chancre.

Dr. Simon-Had the disease increased amongst the women as well? Certainly. Since 1892 there has been very great progress in syphilis here.

Do you think it exists in a worse form than before?

There are more cases and more virulent cases.

Have you any experience of the working of the C.D. Act?

No. I only know that the girls were examined in the Lock Hospital.

Mr. Gentle What class of native males come to you?

Chinese artizans, carpenters, shoemakers, tailors, and so on. Then I have a few

traders.

Mr. Gentle Any Malays and Klings?

A few only. They do not want to undergo our treatment.

Have these women any objection to examination?

I could not say so. In some cases they come alone and ask to be examined; in others I find that the brothel-keeper has had a lot of trouble to persuade them to come. Some of them don't want to come.

Mr. Evans-Is that because they are diseased?

I think so.

I have known some girls refuse to be examined.

Dr. Simon-These houses where you go regularly, do they object?

Oh, no, not in the least.

Possibly girls who have never been examined before object?

No, not always. Sometimes you find a fresh girl quite willing to be examined.

Mr. Evans-Do old girls object?

No.

Do you think these women know there is a hospital they can go to?

Yes, I think so.

Dr. Simon-And be treated free?

do not know if they are treated free.

The Chairman-Why do not more go?

I think they find it lonesome. They want you to explain a little about their disease, and then they have more confidence in you.

Witness went on to say that the men kept by European women (i.e., pimps) were nearly all diseased. He had never seen so many before, and he thought it was one of the great causes of the European girls being spoilt. The disease was also spreading among the military service. They had never had so many cases before.

Have you any idea of the number of brothels in Singapore?

No.

Or prostitutes?

I could not say.

Have you seen any deaths amongst prostitutes from venereal?

No.

How many prostitutes do you examine monthly?

About 30 to 32 in the eight or nine Japanese houses, but I treat about 100 different

cases every month.

Dr. Middleton-Is that more than you used to attend before?

Yes.

Dr. Middleton-Five years ago what was your average?

Five years ago I had about 30 to 35 cases of venereal disease a month.

Dr. Simon-When you first began to examine these girls in 1888 and 1889? There were very few. Of course the spread of venereal was partly accounted for by the increased business.

What class of cases had you in those early days?

There was more gonorrhea and primary chancre, but very few cases of syphilis. Mr. Gentle-Have you any experience of country villages, do many cases come to you from there? outside, from plantations?

Yes, they come sometimes from the plantations and from Pulau Obin.

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Where do these men contract the disease?

At their own places. Whenever the men had a holiday it was a common thing to bring out the girls from Sago Street, Macau Street, and other places to the plantations. They take them out for the holidays and then bring them back again.

Dr. Simon These men get the disease from the Singapore women? Yes, so far as I know.

Mr. Gentle Were not the estate managers in the habit of keeping prostitutes on the estates for the coolies?

I don't know; I have no experience of it. I know it is done in Deli.

The Chairman-If a bad case in a man comes to you for treatment, what becomes of

him afterwards?

I attend him at once, and he goes back to his work.

But they cannot do manual labour?

Sometimes; very little of course.

But what do they do, do they die in their houses?

I suppose so; the coolies assist each other.

Do these men come regularly to you?

Yes.

And they go back home again?

Yes.

Mr. Evans-They stop at home and do light work, such as cooking food and wash- ing clothes?

Yes, they do light work.

The Chairman-Some of these bad cases come to you about a year or so old?

They never come to me unless they are bad, and as soon as the symptoms disappear they think they are all right again. You cannot persuade them to take medicine once the symptoms disappear, but, of course, in a few months they come back again.

The Chairman-I suppose that as soon as the symptoms disappear these men have connection again?

one.

Yes.

Do you inspect any soldiers here?

Yes.

Many of them?

No, not many of them; I have perhaps four or five a week. Before I never saw.

What forms of disease do you treat them for?

Mostly gonorrhea and syphilitic disease. I have performed several intra-muscular injections.

Have you any men of this Regiment?

I only know that some of the men come from Blakang Mati. I have others from Tanglin and some even from Fort Canning.

Questioned by Dr. Middleton, witness said there was a small dispensary in North Bridge Road which was largely patronised by soldiers. One-third of the medicines in the place were gonorrhea medicines, blue pills, and so on. There used to be another

place in Victoria Street, but he thought it was closed now.

Where do the soldiers go to mostly now?

I could not say. During the last month I have noticed a decrease in the number of soldiers.

Dr. Middleton-Do you attend any Tamil, Javanese, or Malay girls? Sometimes, but very few.

Where do they go mostly?

I think they take native medicine, Malay and Chinese. For venereal disease the Malays mostly took Chinese medicine; they do not want our medicine.

What is the Chinese medicine?

Cinnabar, calomel, and iodide of potash.

Do they understand the doses of these medicines?

Oh, yes. You have Chinese dispensers. They are educated in Canton, and have some knowledge of herbs and even chemicals. I have met one man who quite as- tonished me by what he knew. Besides, there are many Chinese who have been trained in the hospitals here, and they set up for themselves as soon as they know a little of European medicines.

Mercury they usually give in the form of calomel? Yes, calomel and cinnabar.

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