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the number of living rooms, but it is probable that a large number
of these were used for sleeping purposes as well. The number of
people occupying these rooms was, in round figures, 112,000, that
is 88,500 over ten years of age, and 23,500 under ten years. It
was discovered further that 2,763 families were living in conditions
exceeding the London County Council standard of two persons
to a room, and this figure was arrived at as follows: —
3 persons to a room 1,902 families
4 „ „ „ 585 „
5 „ „ „ 192 „
6 „ „ „ 55 „
7 „ „ „ 24 „
8 „ „ „ 2 „
9 „ „ „ „
10 „ „ „ 2 „
11 „ „ „ 1 family
2,763 families
This, however, is to some extent an under-statement, as
6,634 families were given as living two persons to a room, but, in
fact, this figure includes a great number of cases of families having
five persons to two rooms.
The foregoing shows a condition of affairs which is most
serious. In a number of overcrowded families there are cases of
tuberculosis and illnesses which seriously aggravate the overcrowding.
When a case of tuberculosis occurs in a family—
especially if the patient happens to be the bread-winner—the
family, in a large number of cases, automatically gravitates to
single-room or two-room tenements, because the whole economic
position of the family has deteriorated, and it has become impossible
for them to pay the rent of a larger house. This is part of a
vicious circle which occurs with tuberculosis—the head of the
family falls ill with the disease, the wages go down and the family
has to go into an overcrowded tenement, and this overcrowded
tenement not only aggravates the disease, but helps to spread it to
other members of the family, a chain of incidents known medically
as a "vicious circle."