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Prostitution [94] Inspection Report of Sixteen Brothels in Vil’na (1871) LVIA, f. 383, op. 1, d. 20, ll. 53–57. “Report of the Vil’na Provincial Administration to the Vil’na Medical Department (20 November 1871)” Pursuant to the general governor’s proposal of 17 February 1871 (number 1488), a Commission under the chairmanship of Colonel Izmailov (and created by order of His Excellency ) was established in Vil’na to inspect craft shops, artisan shops, taverns, and brothels . He presented a report [. . .] to the chief of the province about his inspection of distilleries , breweries, tannery factories, fish and meat markets, taverns, and brothels. The inspection of brothels in Vil’na revealed that there are sixteen of them in Vil’na, in which seventy-seven prostitutes (including forty Jews and thirty-seven Christians), between the ages of nineteen and thirty-nine, reside. All these establishments were located either on the outskirts of the city or on outof -the-way streets. Half of the establishments are kept by Christian women, the other half by Jewish women. The condition of all these establishments, with respect to their buildings , were found to be extremely unsatisfactory upon inspection; their maintenance was far from corresponding to the published regulations on this matter. The inspection of all these establishments showed that: (1) The majority of the houses in which they [the women] live are in a dilapidated condition and thus, in the winter, must be extremely cold. The entrances to them are vestibules ; the staircases, with few exceptions, are not neatly maintained. (2) The internal rooms of these houses for the most part are not tidy; dirty, damp, and cramped, they are far from corresponding to the number of prostitutes who live in them. (3) At the inspection one of the madams did not produce the permit for the right to maintain her establishment. The permits [for the other brothels] were examined subsequently ; they proved to have been issued and signed by the district doctor appointed to examine these establishments and by the district constable. According to the regulations, however, the permits should have been issued by the police (who are well aware of these women’s reliability). [. . .] The doctor’s role should rest in responsibility for examining the facilities and the arrangements of these establishments with respect to hygiene and sanitation (in conformity with the existing regulations). (4) The bedrooms in most establishments are dark and crowded; rarely are they occupied by a single person, but generally have [338]   health & sexuality two and even three beds, [with] no partitions between them. (5) In a large number of the establishments , the bed linens were in an abominable condition: filthy or badly laundered, covered with stains. The mattress covers were torn, badly washed (if at all), and also covered with stains. The underclothing on many of the women was slovenly in appearance. (6) At the inspection, it turned out that three Jewish prostitutes live in the brothel of the Christian madam Sof’ia Tukernes (in Karlesa ’s building on Mostovaia Street). There was one Christian prostitute for every [Jewish ] prostitute at the brothel of the Jewish madams, Genna Grinberg (on Raiskii Lane in the building of Rubazhevich) and Golda Makhlotskaia (on Nikodimovskii Lane in the building of Kovalskii). (7) The madams do not have lists of prostitutes ; that is why the verification of their numbers should be made on only one medical card. (8) Rarely do the buildings have fortochki [hinged panes in windows for ventilation]; as a result, the air in these establishments proved to be extremely heavy and putrid. (9) In one of the establishments of madam Sof’ia Tukernes (in the house of Parnes, located on Mostovaia Street), we found that her husband was living with her and residing in a common room designed for the women. At the time we therefore requested the local constable to have him immediately removed. (10) In one of the establishments of madam Natalia Krasnitskaia, it turned out that because of her enmity toward the retired soldier Dmitrii Voronov (who was living with her in the house), [Krasnitskaia] neglected her establishment and settled in another place. The Commission reported this to the Vil’na police for the appropriate order to close this establishment. (11) At the inspection of the brothels located on the following streets [on Novaia Sveta Street in the house of Gilels; on Tatarskaia Street in the houses of Shul’man and Fliaks; on Kozhevskaia Street in the houses of Bass and Afronovich; on Mostovaia Street...

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