Police-Women.

1826 able to give in full in this issue. Every evening in the week there will be a discussion on some general surgical topic, and on four evenings in the week there will be simultaneously a discussion arising directly out of some variety of surgical specialism. The men to open these discussions have been carefully selected, and the time at their disposal will be so brief that there will be entailed upon the chairmen of the meetings considerable responsibility. We could, indeed, have wished that fewer subjects had been put down for treatment and more time allowed for discussion; but if the rules of debate are observed and the time limits enforced, advantage to learning may accrue from the multiplicity of topics discussed. No doubt the point was thought of when the programme was arranged. It goes without saying that not much provision is made for entertainments during so strenuous a week, a week in which the time table is made up from breakfast time until midnight nearly every day. We find this attention to business a satisfactory feature of the Congress. Some may object here that such a thing could be more gracefully said by a newspaper which is not dated from the city where the Congress is actually to be held, but we are sure that we shall not be misunderstood as meaning that English hosts will be relieved to find that they are not expected to entertain the American and other guests. We are perfectly certain that there- will be a great deal of

Police-Women. Two articles published in the current number of The Nineteenth Centitry and After paved the way

public meeting at which a resolution was carried urging the appointment of women police constables with powers equal to those of men constables in all county boroughs and in the metropolitan boroughs of the County of London. The meeting was organised by a committee of persons interested especially in the amendment of the criminal law in regard to sexual crimes, a matter )f the first importance which, for reasons of to

a

as well as for those ot law and order, fails to attract wide attention. The news. papers have published many letters on the subject, which is generally seen to be ripe for serious consideration, and which has obvious medical bear-

humanity

never

ings

of

an

interesting

11-fte duties

sort.

speakers at tne meetappropriate to police-women included the proposed by

the

ing following :-Supervision in parks and open spaces, presence at railway stations, answering inquiries in the streets, taking depositions of women and children, investigating cases of alleged assault upon women and girls, visiting places of amusement and refreshment, and inspection of women’s lodgingas

houses. To them there may be added some at least of the functions described in The Nineteenth Centur.,y and Aftei- as being performed informal hospitality extended to members of the by women police in Germany and America, Congress, but the point is that in this purely many of which are not duties at present perscientific gathering time will not be wasted in formed by male police in the British Islands, attempts to stop scientific business by combining it the suggestion appearing to be that it would with some crowded substitute for pleasure. The be well if corresponding duties could be impicnic side of scientific congresses has been de- posed on the police here, with the proviso that cidedly overdone, and the official circular of the women, being added to the constabulary, should Clinical Congress of Surgeons of North America have the task of carrying them out. These duties has laid down a sound policy in deciding to dis- include in different States in America the helping courage large entertainments of a social nature. of women in cases of desertion by husbands, The Congress is to be held this year, as presumably investigating newspaper advertisements in referit must always be held, in a city where there are ence to women, enforcing a curfew law which many things to see, and the members will see clears the streets of young people by a certain them far better if they go to them on their own hour, and general supervision of amusements Thus the duties to be assigned to selection and at the time that it suits them, than for children. the female force divide themselves into they could ever hope to see them as a backproposed ground to a thronged reception. The social side two classes, the first consisting of duties already perdistinctly appertains to the organisation of an formed by our policemen, which, it is argued, women International Congress of Medicine, and no less to would carry out better, and the second of duties the annual meetings of such a body as the British which do not at present form part of our policeMedical Association; but the plan upon which the men’s work, or only in the most indirect manner. Clinical Congress of Surgeons of North America is The supervision of parks, of railway stations, and based rightly leaves the occurrence of hospitality of places of amusement or refreshment, as conto individual circumstances. We feel constrained templated by the advocates of the establishment here to voice the general regret that the Clinical of police-women, proceeds from a desire to Congress of Surgeons of North America should keep women, especially young and defenceless clash with the annual meeting of the British women, out of the temptation to lapse into Medical Association, an accident of which the prostitution. The work for the police-woman, so visitors must be held guiltless, as the change iefined, would differ considerably in its scope from of dates, to which it is due, was made (for that which is assigned to her in connexion with paramount reasons, we understand) by the prostitution in continental countries where State British Medical Association. regulatioia of vice is in force. In fact, it may fairly

1827

.

be said that the duties suggested for the police- order to have her head cleansed from vermin. woman have as their object to a large extent the Officials of the Local Government Board have had prevention of immorality rather than those punitive similar difficulties arising out of the notification of diseases or the disinfection of premises, showing measures against the vicious who infringe the law, to which the action of the male police officer is that our men and women, though on the whole lawlimited. In this respect the movement in favour abiding, may on many occasions greatly resent what of appointing women as constables must be they consider infringement of their private rights. regarded as one for organising a certain class of The police-woman, if she materialises, will find the missionary or social effort under the aegis of the absolute necessity of male cooperation. In America the introduction of police-women local authority and under the control of the local instead of it as heretofore to leaving private upon a small and experimental scale may well have police, and benevolent The agencies. object is a been welcomed as an alternative to male police, religious and the police-women would who, not only in New York, have by no means thoroughly worthy one, be useful agents in the interests of public morality, endeared themselves to the community. Throughand incidentally in the interests of the public out the kingdom our police are on the whole health; but it must be made clear that the popular, and live up to a well-earned character for proposal to establish police-women is a movement kindliness and honesty which the presence of black to impose new duties upon the police to be sheep among them does not impair. Consequently performed by women rather than to supplement there is less likelihood in this country than in male efficiency in the carrying out of existing America of women police being regarded as an imfunctions. provement upon men by those who employ them and We are sure that all who advocate this inno- by the classes to control whom they are employed. vation will see the necessity of perfect cooperation Any experiments which may be initiated in these between the male and female members of a com- islands in the direction of adding women to the posite force, for, if the scheme came into actual police force of boroughs and large towns must be working, situations would inevitably arise where regarded as a new thing tried in new circumduties that appeared particularly suitable for the stances, and not as the adoption of a system the success of which has been assured by successful one would have to be discharged by the other. If such obvious considerations as this are duly re- experiments abroad. One result, to be gained only garded the moment is not unfavourable for the by experience, will be the ascertaining whether we carrying out of experiments in the direction have here any supply of women available, capable the success Education and civilisation have pro- of exercising with indicated. powers and vided as material a population which, if ’not functions which sanguine advocates of the intrinsically’more moral than that of a generation scheme would assign to them. Another will ago, is at any rate quieter, better behaved, and less be the answer to the question whether there likely to resent with violence restraint upon its will be that general public acceptance of liberty to be vicious. The supervision of our streets women in a new capacity which will be necessary and places of amusement with a view to checking in order to render their introduction effective for prostitution, at any rate so far as London is con- good. The experiment, however, is one worth cerned, will hardly present such a problem to-day trying, as if it succeeds it should tend in an as would have been the case 25 years ago, but at important degree to assist in the effort now being the same time we are not sorry to see that made to check crime and vice at the outset by the experiment under discussion is likely to be getting at and helping the young when they are tried elsewhere, and not in London, as a beginning. taking their first steps on the downward grade. In the vast population of London failure might The time seems still to be far distant when parental result owing to the mere magnitude of the scale discipline and training, supplemented by school necessary for the carrying of the scheme to success. education, will render crime and immorality in We are, however, very far from suggesting that those at the threshold of citizenship easy problems in the great cities of the north such success will be for the State and its agents to handle. easy of attainment. We would rather say that it will be less difficult there to obtain indications as to whether police-women have a future before them Deficiencies in the Insurance in this country. In Germany they were introduced Funds. 11 years ago and are said to have been welcomed IT has been known for some months that in wherever they have exercised their authority. In various areas the amount of money available for Germany, however, the police have to deal with a the payment of the accounts of panel chemists for people inured to an interference with their personal the first year’s service under the National Insurance actions which would considerably surprise a large Act would be insufncient, but it is only recently section of the population of our cities and towns. that the real extent of the has been ascerdeficiency We recentlyl alluded to a case in which a mob of has been and it found to be more serious tained, 200 colliers’ wives assaulted a nurse sent to bring a than had been suspected. In and Wales England school-girl from her home to a school clinic in out of 139 insurance districts there are 30 in which

Drug

1

THE LANCET, June

20th, p. 1766.

the drug funds

are

insufficient to pay the chemists