Unit 5: Why were the Contagious Diseases Act introduced? Flashcards
How was prostitution viewed in Victorian Britain?
Prostitution was widespread, a solution to male sexual desire which was natural and could not be repressed.
Women’s sexual desire only related to procreation.
Describe the health of the army and navy.
During Crimean War 1853-6, the health of the British army was a national concern- the army suffered more from casualties from disease than on the battlefield.
Hospitals and barracks lacked basic sanitation, breeding grounds for infection.
Venereal diseases were a big problem eg gonorrhoea and syphilis- its widespread caused by the army’s dependence on prostitution- to fulfil male urge and prevent homosexuality among soldiers
What was the 1862 committee?
A government response to the warnings from 1857 Royal Commission on the health of the army- warned that there were higher levels of venereal infections in the army than those outside armed forces.
It specified that medical checks on soldiers for venereal diseases must stop because they caused a loss of respect among troops.
It recommended the appointment of a statistical department to report annually on the health of the army: 1860- 37% of army hospital admissions were for venereal infections, on average 586 men a day were inactive as a result of venereal infections.
The 1862 Committee was to investigate how venereal diseases within the army could be prevented- Nightingale warned the army to purify itself morally and end its reliance on prostitution rather than the regulation of prostitutes.
A member- Sir John Liddell- argued for the regulation of prostitutes by frequent medical checks.
The official recommendation of the committee was that penalties would be issued to soldiers for concealing, not contracting, venereal diseases, along with lock hospitals for prostitutes to visit voluntarily for treatment. The government ignored this.
Describe prostitution and sexuality in Victorian society.
Prostitution threatened marriages, estimated 500,000 prostitutes.
Most common diseases were gonorrhoea and syphilis.
The London Royal Free Hospital found that syphilis was responsible for up to 20% of all admissions to the ear and eye wards, hereditary syphilis was also a big killer for children aged less than 12 months. This posed a threat to the health of the nation’s population.
Male sexuality was embodied in the law- Matrimonial Causes Act 1857 specified that a man could divorce a woman on the grounds of adultery but a woman had to have additional reasons such as desertion to divorce a man because adultery from a man was seen as natural.
Who was John William Acton (1813-75)?
London surgeon who specialised in urinary and genital organs.
His 1857 book outlined the problems prostitution created- had a huge impact on government thinking on sexual health.
Did not consider prostitution to be a moral evil, it was just the diseases it spread that was a social problem.
Convinced many that government intervention was necessary.
In 1860, Acton declared that charity and religion had failed to prevent prostitution and that scientific government regulation was called for- believed that movements to reform prostitutes were ineffective so through regular medical checks of prostitutes, venereal disease could be identified and then treated.
What were the Contagious Diseases Acts?
1864- gave police within ports and garrison towns the power to arrest prostitutes for medical examination, a diseased woman would be detained in a lock hospital until cured, failure to submit to examination would result in imprisonment.
1866- introduced compulsory examinations for prostitutes every 3 months, examinations performed on all suspected prostitutes within 10 miles of a protected port or garrison town.
1869- extended the regulation to all garrison towns, allowed prostitutes to be held for 5 days before examination without trial, act established 18 protected districts and made it legal for prostitutes to be detained in a lock hospital for up to a year- ensure the safe regulation of prostitution.
