London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1909
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1909
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27
The number of rooms occupied by the consumptive persons visited and their families were as
follows :—
Home or other Accommodation of the Sick Person or Family.
| Number of Rooms Occupied. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4or more. | Homeless Persons in the Infirmary. | Common Lodginghouse Cases. | NoInformation obtainable. | Total Cases investigated. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of consump-tive patients | 100 | 83 | 55 | 43 | 31 | 19 | 48 | 379 |
The necessity for urging the adoption of precautions and the difficulty of preventing infection
in the homes of the poor, are illustrated in the above table which shows that when information as
to house accommodation was obtained, more than half the patients (or 183 out of 331) were
occupying or had occupied small tenements of one or two rooms.
In 71 instances the patient had undoubtedly become infected by contact with consumptive
relatives occupying the same room. In one case at least the infection appears to have been acquired
by contact with a fellow-worker who was suffering from consumption, and in the families of the
patients visited 27 further cases of phthisis were reported.
Disinfection by spraying with formalin and fumigation was carried out by the Council's Disinfecting
Staff in 180 rooms vacated by consumptive persons and in the majority of cases the patient's
bedding was disinfected by steam at the Council's disinfecting station.
The occupation or status of the persons who died from consumption during the year was as
follows:—
Social Status of Consumptive Persons.
| Males— | No. of Deaths. |
|---|---|
| Labourer | 11 |
| Artizan | 17 |
| Cabman, coachman, stableman | 7 |
| Tradesmen | 6 |
| Laundryman, gardener, salesman (3 each) | 9 |
| Porters, errand boys, hawkers | 12 |
| Potman, commercial traveller, electrician, clerk, caretaker, soldier son of a waiter (2 each) | 14 |
| Chemist, publican, servant, street artist, superintendent of police tailor, bath-chairman, bank manager, watchman, nurse, engi-neer, baker, furrier, policeman, wood-chopper, son of butler professor of music (1 each) | 17 |
| Independent means | 3 |
| No information | 2 |
| 98 | |
| Females— | |
| Domestic servants | 10 |
| Washerwomen, ironers | 4 |
| Wives or daughters of labourers | 9 |
| Dressmakers, needlewomen, tailoress | 7 |
| Charwomen | 3 |
| Wives or daughters of porter, horsekeeper (2 each) | 4 |
| Wives or daughters of insurance agent, tailor, wood-chopper pavement artist, baker, ticket collector, shopkeeper, grave-digger, caneworker, shoemaker, timekeeper, painter, coach-builder (1 each) | 13 |
| Teacher, daughter of charwoman (l each) | 2 |
| Independent means | 3 |
| No information | 15 |
| 70 | |
| Total number of Deaths | 168 |
The above details are given in the case of deaths only, since the occupations of notified patients
are those followed by patients in receipt of relief from the Guardians, and afford no index of the
social status and employment of the total number of consumptives in the Borough.