Cambridge University's Victorian prison for prostitutes

Between 1864 and 1886 public health legislation was used to detain, examine and forcibly treat alleged prostitutes in an attempt to reduce venereal disease in the armed forces. Even after this legislation was repealed the University of Cambridge continued an older tradition of imprisoning women, until teenager Daisy Hopkins challenged their right to arrest her in an explosive court case.Victorian public health reforms generally get a good press – decent sewage systems, clean water, rules about food hygiene, etc. But sometimes people thought that the protection of the 'public' health had gone too far, and that individual rights were being ignored. The Vaccination Acts in the second half of the nineteenth century led to petitions, court cases, a great number of furious newspaper articles, and the odd small riot (for more on this, see Nadja Durbach's Bodily Matters or listen to her on BBC Radio 4's In Our Time) Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: History of science Source Type: news