Lock hospital

A lock hospital was an establishment that specialised in treating sexually transmitted diseases.

[2] There were more military than civil lock hospitals in India, due to the prevalence of venereal diseases amongst British troops.

[4] The earliest lock hospitals in India were established around 1797 at Berhampur, Kanpur, Danapur, and Fatehgarh.

The local police were in charge of rounding up women suspected of being diseased, who could return home only after obtaining a certificate of discharge.

[5] Lock Hospital operated in Hong Kong from 1858 to 1894 to deal with venereal diseases.

Cartoon showing inmates of a lock hospital, 1802. The man at left is undergoing paracentesis (draining of fluid from the abdomen). In the centre, one patient reads handbills for quack medicines . At right, a prosperous and smug apothecary ( pharmacist ) rides in a coach with footmen ; his family motto is Memento mori , "remember you shall die."
London Lock Hospital, 1831
Plan of the lock hospital of Southwark : it includes a " pleget room," devoted to the changing of dressings .