Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Annual report on the public health of Finsbury for the year 1913
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Adopting these definitions, the cases may be grouped as follows :—
1. Finsbury Cases by residence and infection | |
2. Finsbury Cases by infection | 31 |
3. Finsbury Cases by residence | 10 |
4. Not Finsbury Cases | 125 |
421 |
The cases which may be definitely associated with the Borough
are the first two groups, and amount to 286, that is, to 68 per
cent. of the whole number.
The Finsbury cases by residence had definite signs of the disease
before living in the Borough.
Very little information could be obtained about the cases from
common lodging houses, 15 in number. These patients are
generally restless, wandering, and homeless.
They move from lodging house to lodging house, infecting all,
a danger to themselves and to the other occupants. They use
common eating utensils and common towels. They spit broadcast
on the walls and on the floors. They take no preventative
measures. When, as sometimes happens, the keeper of the
lodging house, or his deputy, has phthisis, the circumstances are
even worse.
Some of the cases were homeless, or gave false Finsbury
addresses, sometimes the address of a brother, sister, daughter,
brother-in-law, friend or casual acquaintance. They sought by
this means to achieve a Finsbury settlement, so as to obtain
admission to the local workhouse infirmary.
The cases which were "not Finsbury" were those which had
the disease when they first came into the Borough, and who had
also lived here for less than 5 years. Such cases live in common