The British Army in India had a serious and enduring problem with venereal disease Between 1887 and 1890 questions were raised in the British Parliament regarding· the registration and recognition of prostitutes, which led to the Cantonment Act and the establishment of cantonment hospitals in 1890, when the venereal rate had risen to 503 per 1,000. These measures appeared to have a beneficial effect, as the rate dropped to 400 in 1891.