Part 19 (1/2)

The negro sailor is held in very bad repute by these women, and some keepers will not allow him to enter their houses, believing that infection from a colored man is of the worst kind, and almost incurable.

The medical returns for the year 1846 give the following tables relating to the women in the St. Paul Suburb:

”In January there were 186 women, of whom 15 were sick; the diseases were

Venereal disease 9 Itch 1 Colic 1 Gastric fever 1 Rheumatic fever 1 Catarrh of lungs 1 Calculus 1 -- Total 15

”In May, of 189 women, 21 were sick:

Venereal disease 9 Itch 8 Gastric fever 2 Inflammation of lungs 1 Spitting of blood 1 -- Total 21

”In August, of 181 women, 17 were sick:

Venereal disease 13 Colic 2 Itch 1 Rheumatism 1 -- Total 17

”In December, of 161 women, 18 were sick:

Venereal disease 6 Itch 6 Sprain 1 Colic 1 Gastric fever 2 Disorder of digestive organs 1 Cold on the chest 1 -- Total 18

This would give an average of about ten per cent. of the women of the suburb sick.”

From the facts we have quoted, it is evident that the virulence of syphilitic affections among the registered women is unquestionably mitigated. ”_Tertiary syphilis is rare_;” secondary syphilis but occasional, while primary forms have lost their malignity. ”There is a marked aggravation of the disease during the summer months, when a considerable influx of strangers takes place. This was particularly observable after the great fire in 1842.”

_The mildness of the disease, and its easy control, can be ascribed to nothing but the weekly medical supervision. The women are visited at their own houses, and any reluctance or refusal renders them liable to punishment._

Contrasted with this state of affairs, we have the severity of syphilis among unregistered women, who conceal their disease as long as they can.

Of those arrested, many are found to be diseased in an aggravated form. In the year 1845, of 138 unregistered women sent to prison, 43 had syphilis, or nearly one third of the whole. Parent-Duchatelet says this proportion is exceeded by the same cla.s.s in Paris, where the infected amount to one half the illicit prost.i.tutes.

The ”_Kurhaus_” is a medical inst.i.tution especially designed for bad characters who are arrested by the police, be they registered or unregistered. The General Infirmary has also a venereal ward. The police authorities contribute annually, from the amount raised by the impost on brothels and prost.i.tutes, 5000 marks ($1500) to the funds of this infirmary. From the following facts this would seem an inadequate amount.

In 1844 there were received and treated 580 females with syphilis; the total residence amounting to 30.387 days, or a _pro rata_ average of 53-1/2 days each, the stipend allowed for which service would be about _four and a half cents per day_.

The number of female cases of syphilis received into the same inst.i.tution in 1843 was,

Registered women 480 Unregistered women 74 --- Total 554

and in 1845,

Registered women 521 Unregistered women 71 --- Total 592

The state of the male venereal patients proves the same general amelioration in the character of the disease. The cases, however, are worse than among the registered women, which must be ascribed to the dislike of men to enter the hospital until such a course becomes unavoidable. The numbers received were, in

1843 355 1844 335 1845 316

Some returns are given by Dr. Lippert of the amount of sickness in the garrison; but he has not stated the number of soldiers, so no comparison can be drawn from his information. The figures are as follows:

1843, Gonorrhoea 90 Chancre 67 Secondary syphilis 13--170 1844, Gonorrhoea 58 Ulcers 63--121 1845, Gonorrhoea 89 Ulcers 79--168

The treatment of syphilis adopted in the Hamburg hospital was introduced by Dr. Fricke, one of the first to apply the non-mercurial system.