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For the proper interpretation of the above Table it must be understood that the figures do not
include persons who died from consumption in 1912 without having been notified to the Medical
Officer of Health.

The figures show that more than half the cases notified occupied tenements containing less
than three rooms. The inquiries made also elicited the fact that in no less than 272 instances the
consumptive patient occupied a one or two room tenement, with more than one, and in certain
cases with more than four, other presumably healthy persons.
Rooms in Tenement.
Persons in Tenement,
including Patieni
Number of Cases.
One Room
Three persons
Four persons
Five persons
More than five persons
20
23
6
3
Two Rooms
Three persons
Four persons
Five persons
More than five persons
37
60
53
70
Fortunately the natural resistance of the tissues to the invasion of tuberculosis is not easily
overcome; otherwise we could calculate from the figures in this Table that more than 900 persons
are known to have lived with consumptive patients in tenements so small and crowded as to
render their ultimate death from consumption a matter of certainty.
That case to case infection under such conditions plays an important part in spreading
consumption may be gathered from the histories of the patients visited. In 287 instances the
patients had undoubtedly become infected by contact at home with one or more consumptive
relatives. Twelve patients gave a history of intimate contact with a consumptive friend, and three
persons appear to have been infected by a fellow lodger. In twelve cases there was reason to
believe that the infection had been acquired from contact with a consumptive fellow-worker, whilst
six cases appear to have become infected by living in houses found to have been previously occupied
by phthisical persons.
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The occupation or status of the persons newly notified and of those who died from consumption
during the year was as follows:—