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lodging houses, Rowton Houses, or in philanthropic institutions,
and wilfully give a fictitious address in order to escape the supervision
which naturally follows notification. Very many of the
poor law cases do this, and it is only after repeated enquiry and
much difficulty that the permanent address is obtained, or, if
this is not available, where the patient has recently been sleeping.
Sometimes, when the correct address is given, the present
occupant of the house denies that the patient ever stayed there.
In 1913, there were 125 cases notified, or over 29 per cent.
of the whole number—which were considered to be dumped cases
attributable to other districts. The never-ending immigration of
these cases into the Borough is possibly the most serious difficulty
of all in dealing with the phthisis problem in Finsbury. There
is a continuous accession of patients who have developed the
disease elsewhere, and worse still from the standpoint of a public
health reputation, once they come into the Borough they show
no disposition to move elsewhere. In course of time, when these
patients die, their deaths are counted as Finsbury deaths, and
tend to attach to the Borough a pubic health odium which it
does not deserve.
One hundred and thirty-one of the patients were bedridden at
the time of notification.; some had been confined to bed for varying
periods up to twelve months and more. Patients who. are not
notified until they become bedridden are patients generally with
longstanding disease, who may presumably have taken few or no
precautions to prevent infecting others. These cases, where the
circumstances are suitable, are urged to enter the Holborn
Infirmary.
Distribution by streets and blocks of dwellings.—
The largest numbers were notified from the following places:—
Bastwick Street, 12; White Lion Street, 11; Baldwin Street, 9;
Guinness Buildings, Lever Street, 9; Goswell Road, 8; Pentonville
Road, 8; Risinghill Street, 8; Cumming Street, 7; Lever
Street, 7; Old Street, 7; St. Bartholomew's Buildings, 7; Gee