Causes of the CD Acts

Give three reasons some women turned to prostitution in Victorian England.

Economic need; Lack of employment opportunities; Family circumstances; Temporary alternative to workhouse; Financial independence

What were sex workers disparagingly known as?

Fallen women

Why was prostitution seen as a necessary evil?

To satisfy male sexual desires outside marriage

What did Charles Dickens do?

Established Urania Cottage; Interviewed prostitutes and used experiences in his books

Give three reasons prostitution was seen as a threat to society.

Threatened family and marriage; Threatened children’s innocence; Undermined idea of female purity; Caused public disorder

Give two stats to show how STDs threatened public health.

Up to 20% of Royal Free child admissions had syphilis; Hereditary syphilis killed babies

Give one precedent for state intervention in public health.

1848 Public Health Act; 1853 compulsory smallpox vaccination

Give one example abroad of state regulation of prostitution.

France; Belgium; Hong Kong; Malta; India

Which surgeon influenced attitudes towards prostitution?

William Acton

What did William Acton think about prostitutes?

Often driven by economic circumstances; Social and health problem not purely moral evil

What did William Acton recommend and why?

Government regulation and medical advances; Charity and religion had failed

Why was Acton’s work significant?

Respected surgeon; First major study of prostitution; Influenced government thinking

What later campaign shows the link between the CD Acts and general public health?

Campaign to extend the Acts nationwide

Why was prostitution important for the army?

Enforced bachelorism meant soldiers sought alternatives

What proportion of army illnesses were STDs?

One third

What event catalysed concerns about army health?

Crimean War

Why was the government worried about army fitness?

Defence of Britain and the Empire

What enquiry was conducted in 1857 and what did it conclude?

Royal Commission; STDs major problem; Soldier checks should end

Which enquiry directly led to the CD Acts?

Parliamentary Committee 1862

What was the liberal solution to STDs and who favoured it?

Nightingale; Improve sanitation and voluntary treatment

What was the conservative solution and who favoured it?

John Liddell; Compulsory examination and state regulation

What feature shows the CD Acts were motivated by military concerns?

Applied only in garrison towns and ports

Give an example of someone who supported the Acts to protect women.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson