Lock hospital

A lock hospital was a hospital that specialised in treating sexually transmitted diseases. They operated in Britain and its colonies and territories from the 18th century to the 20th.[1] The military had a close association with a number of the hospitals. By the mid 19th century most of the larger army bases in India were home to a lock hospital.[2] There were more military than civil lock hospitals in India, due to the prevalence of venereal diseases amongst British troops.[3] In 1858 the Admiralty paid to have one opened in Portsmouth and in 1863 another in Plymouth.[4]

The term lock hospital originates from their use as leprosariums, in which the patients were kept in restraints.[1]:3

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Frederick W. Loundes, Lock Hospitals and Lock Wards in General Hospitals (London: J. & A. Churchill,1882), on Internet Archive website, at https://archive.org/stream/lockhospitalsloc00lown/lockhospitalsloc00lown_djvu.txt .
  2. ↑ Dartnell, George R (1860). "On the prevalence and severity of syphilis in the British army and its prevention". British Medical Journal. 1 (174): 317–319. PMC 2252720Freely accessible.
  3. ↑ Sehrawat, Samiksha. "Institutions: Lock hospitals: Measures to halt venereal diseases". Medical History of British India. National Library of Scotland. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  4. ↑ Stark, Suzanne J. (1998). Female Tars: Women aboard ship in the age of sail. Pimlico. p. 33. ISBN 0-7126-6660-5.
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