Financial.—Funds for the support of the hospital are raised by way of forced contributions from the brothel-keepers of the Yoshiwara, and the basis of the annual expenditure is a written estimate prepared prior to the 20th March every year by the President of the institution and the Director of the Brothel-keepers Guild, and approved by the Police authorities. In case of a deficiency occurring, steps may be taken to make good the same by the President and Director acting in concert.
Alteration of Hospital Regulations.—When necessary, the regulations may be altered by the President of the hospital and the Director and Vice-Director of the Guild acting in concert, provided that the consent of the Police authorities has been obtained to the proposed changes.
Sick-Rooms and Sanitary Precautions.—The regulations require that separate wards[67] be provided for various classes of patients, and that contagious cases be properly segregated; also that the premises be kept swept and clean, and all infected matter be destroyed by fire. Bedding and towels are not to be used promiscuously, sheets are to be disinfected by means of hot steam, spittoons containing a 5% solution of carbolic acid are to be provided, table utensils are to be washed in hot water containing corrosive sublimate (1 in a 1000), infected waste paper must be burnt, and even waste paper which is not infected must not be sold until properly disinfected. Patients who have obtained permission from the physicians are bound to take a bath every morning before the periodical examination.
Visitors.—Are not allowed in the wards or rooms unless the patient is unable to move and special permission has been obtained from the physician in attendance. Visitors may, however, under certain conditions, see patients between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. in a room (�setsu-jo) set apart for that purpose.
Rules for Patients.—While under treatment, patients are required to be civil and respectful in their language and demeanour towards the members of the hospital staff, to wear the regular cotton dresses worn by all inmates, and to observe the regulations governing the institution. No patient is allowed to leave the hospital while under treatment. Patients are required to do their hair up in a simple style, to refrain from entering other wards or rooms except for proper reasons, to refrain from wearing the thick-soled high sandals (takaz�ri) ordinarily worn in brothels, to carefully place all waste-paper in the receptacles provided, to refrain from creating noise or disorder, singing, quarreling, and scribbling nonsense on the walls or furniture. They are also prohibited from lending or borrowing money, gambling, etc.; and (except with the permission of the physicians) from taking food and drugs brought in from outside. In case of wishing to make purchases outside the hospital, permission must be obtained from the physicians through the nurses.
Exercise.—Exercise may be taken daily in the hospital gardens within prescribed hours.
Complaints.—Complaints against the nurses or other persons must be made direct to the physicians in attendance.
As to the actual working of the Yoshiwara Hospital, some caustic remarks, contained in a book entitled Yūkiwaku no Rimen (�廓��� “Behind the scenes in the brothel-quarters�) published in T�ky� in 1903, are appended. In the course of an exceedingly severe arraignment, the author says substantially as follows:—
“The filthy state of the Yoshiwara Hospital, and its utter lack of proper appointments, is so notorious that it is hardly necessary for us to dwell upon this particular phase of the subject; but we propose to enquire into some of the details of the institution. When we try to picture to ourselves what a hospital is, or should be like, we naturally imagine a fine lofty building surrounded by beautiful green trees, grateful shrubs and flowering plants, containing well-ventilated wards kept scrupulously neat and clean and furnished with beds covered with snowy-white counterpanes free from even a suspicion of stain or dirt; but the Yoshiwara Hospital is indeed far from being like that. We are tempted to compare it to a prison, but, as a matter of fact, a prison like the Sugamo Gaol is far more clean and complete, so from the point of general dirtiness and disorder the comparison would be quite inappropriate! The sick rooms have an area of from about 144 to 180 square feet, and as many as twelve or thirteen people are sometimes collected together in such stuffy chambers. The inmates often sleep two in a bed, and women belonging to different brothels, who are indeed entire strangers to each other, share the same couch. As to their treatment, they are medically examined twice a day, they have to pay for their own food, and although attendance and medicine is supposed to be supplied by the brothel-keepers, the patients have to get the money from their masters in the form of a loan and repay it in due course. Even in these expensive times, when living is far dearer than formerly, it appears that the cost of the regular hospital food is only estimated at from 7 to 8 sen (3-1�2 to 4 cents U.S. money or say 2d in sterling), so that for the women to be supplied with appetizing or nourishing food is simply impossible. The food they actually get three times a day is far worse than good prison fare, and consists of:—