Lloyd’s court, 1. Denmark street, Soho.† 2. Hog lane, St. Giles’s.†
Lloyd’s street, Prince’s street, Soho.†
Lloyd’s yard, Skinner’s street.†
Lock Hospital, near Hyde Park Corner, for the cure of the venereal disease. This charitable foundation was established, and is still supported by the voluntary contributions of gentlemen, who have had the humanity to consider, that pain and misery, however produced, entitle frail mortals to relief from their fellow creatures. They therefore, in imitation of the munificence of the Almighty, who causes his sun to shine on the evil and the good, afford relief equally to the innocent and the guilty.
Patients were first received into this hospital on the 31st of January 1747, since which time to the 10th of March 1752, there were discharged from it 1432; besides those who received benefit from it, by being out-patients; and the in-patients cured from the 10th of March 1752, to the 10th of March 1753, amounted to 308; besides twenty-one cured as out-patients. In that year four died, and at that last period, there were forty patients in the house, and five out-patients.
Among the above unhappy objects were several married women, children and infants, many of whom were admitted by the weekly committee, even without any other recommendation than their distress, they being almost naked, pennyless and starving. The virtuous, the humane reader will be astonished at reading, that at the end of the above period, among the other miserable objects who found relief, were upwards of sixty children from two to ten or twelve years old, who became infected from ways little suspected by the generality of mankind; from the absurd opinion, imbibed by the lower class, both males and females, that by communicating this loathsome disease to one that is sound, they will get rid of it themselves; and from this principle, which is contradicted by daily experience, the most horrid acts of barbarity have been frequently committed on poor little infants; and thus these vile wretches have entailed the most dreadful disease on these innocent infants, without affording the least relief to themselves. This the Governors have thought their duty to publish, in order, as much as possible, to root out from among mankind an opinion at once so base, so false, and productive of such cruelty.
From the above account of the happy success of this charity, its great usefulness must appear extremely obvious to every humane well disposed person: and many such may be induced to contribute to it, when they are informed that any sum not less than a guinea a year, will be acceptable.
Every gentleman subscribing 5l. a year, or upwards, is a Governor of this hospital; and whoever gives a benefaction of 50l. at one time, is a Governor for life: but no Governor above two years in arrear, can have any power or privilege as a Governor, till he has paid his arrears.
A committee of at least five of the Governors meet every Saturday morning at ten o’clock, to admit and discharge patients, adjust the weekly accounts, receive the reports of the visitors, and examine the affairs of the house.
Two of the contributors are appointed weekly by the committee to examine every day into the behaviour of the patients and nurses, and make their report, as it shall appear to them, at the next weekly board.