London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Kensington 1913

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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Home Accommodation of Patients previously unknown.

Accommodation.l Room.2 Rooms.3 Rooms.4 or more Rooms.Common Lodging House.Unknown.Total Cases.
Cases of Phthisis140201831531459650
Other Cases214428290128250

In the case of consumption or pulmonary tuberculosis, the figures show that more than half
the patients notified occupied tenements containing less than three rooms. The inquiries made also
elicited the fact that in no less than 201 instances the consumptive patient occupied a one or two.
room tenement, with more than one, and in certain cases with more than four other persons.
#
Rooms in Tenement
Persons in Tenement,
including Patient.
Cases of Tuberculosis.
Pulmonary.
Other Forms.
One Room
Three persons
Four persons
Five persons
More than five persons
27
9
3
2
4
2
1
4
Two Rooms
Three persons
Four persons
Five persons
More than five persons
32
31
32
60
6
5
7
19
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 700 persons
are known to have lived with consumptive patients in tenements so small and crowded as to render
it impossible for them to have escaped infection. In regard to patients suffering from other forms
of tuberculosis, the inquiries have been incomplete, and the home accommodation noted in 122
cases only does not necessarily constitute a representative sample of the conditions under which the
total number of 250 patients were housed.

Source of Infection.—The source of infection in 146 cases appears to have been as follows'.

Source of Infection.Cases of Tuberculosis.
Pulmonary.Other Forms.
Contact with consumptive relative13016
„ „ friend50
„ „ fellow lodger50
,, ,, fellow worker60
Residence in infected house360
Total18216

Since January 1st, 1910, a register has been kept of the houses in the Borough where notified
consumptives are known to have lived before and after the onset of their illness. In addition to the
address of the patient on the date of notification, previous addresses have also been registered, but with
a view to limiting the amount of labour involved, their number has generally been limited to one or
two. At the end of the year 1,887 houses appeared in the register, which consists of cards, each