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future years will be more closely limited to the annual accessions to this class.* In this connection
evidence of the period of time which elapses between admission to the workhouse infirmary and
the death of some of the patients is of interest. Thus, Dr. Dudfield gives account of 46 persons who died
from phthisis in the Paddington Workhouse and Infirmary. As many as 37 of these persons had not
on any previous occasion been inmates of either of these institutions. The average interval between
notification and death was for 25 males 67'4 days, and for 12 females 19 days : of the remaining 9
patients 1 had been in the workhouse for 7 years and 6 had been " ins and outs " between the times
of recognition of their illness and their death ; the information with regard to the remaining two
persons was incomplete.
As already stated, the medical officers of health of nineteen sanitary areas have supplied the
Council with certain particulars of the cases notified to them. In these districts since 14th August
2,300 persons were notified, of which 1,589 were males and 711 females. Thus the number of males
notified was more than twice the number of females.
Exclusive of 23 cases for which the age was not stated, the age-distribution of the persons notified
was as follows :—

Although the persons notified in these districts numbered 2,300, the number of notifications
received was, in consequence of duplicate notification, 3,010. Thus 398 persons were notified twice,
96 persons 3 times, 19 persons 4 times, 9 persons 5 times, 3 persons 6 times, and 2 persons 7 times.
The character of the homes from which the patients come is shown in some of the reports.
Thus, Dr. Sandilands found in Kensington and Dr. Thomas found in Finsbury, that the home accommodation
of patients was as follows :—

In Hackney, Dr. Warry found that of 135 cases concerning which information could be obtained
93 shared the bedroom and 64 of these shared the bed with other members of the family. Dr. Thomas
gives the following cases illustrative of the conditions found on visiting the homes of poor persons.
" (1) A mother and six children ranging from six months to 13 years live and sleep in one room. Two
of the children are consumptive. (2) A man, wife and one adult child, and six little children occupy
two rooms. Two children have already died from consumption. The mother and one child of 12 years
are now consumptive." Dr. Parkes mentions the following—" (1) Mother (a widow) in the last and most
infectious stage of phthisis found sleeping in the same bed with three sons aged 17,11 and 7 years. The
family occupied two rooms. (2) Child of 9 years, suffering from tuberculosis and sleeping in the same
bed with both parents and three young brothers and sisters—the family occupying a single room."
The extent to which tuberculosis exists in the London population is unknown, and indeed the
proportion which would be called tuberculous would depend in large degree on the standard which
is adopted for determination whether the persons examined are to be regarded as subjects of this
disease. Dr. Dudfield gives the results of the examination of persons living with others who were
patients attending the Paddington Dispensary for the Prevention of Tuberculosis. He writes as
follows: "The medical officer of the dispensary reports that after examining 472 patients resident in
the borough and finding 184 ' definite ' and 154 ' suspect' cases of consumption, and 8 cases of tuberculosis
of other forms than the pulmonary, he examined 228 ' contacts,' of whom 50 were found to be
suffering with the disease, 98 suspected to be so suffering and 3 had other forms of tuberculosis." The
true significance of these figures could of course only be rightly understood if similar inquiry were
made into the health of persons of the same class not known to be associated with other persons suffering
from this disease.
*In some districts the number notified includes all the cases of this disease in poor-law practices under treatment
during the year. Where, however, under a system of voluntary notification a proportion of these cases had
already been notified, it does not appear that they havo been again notified under the Order.