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70
Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
Phthisis in common lodging houses.
Enquiry has been made with regard to 252 persona notified under the Orders and giving addresses
at common lodging houses licensed by the Council, viz., 239 male3 and 13 females. The age distribution
of these cases was as follows:—
15— 20— 25— 35— 45— 55— 65—
2 3 40 61 91 42 13
The place of birth in 33 per cent. of the above cases was stated to be outside London, and in
54 instances a previous history of consumption in the patient's family was obtained.
Information was also obtained in respect of 246 of the patients as to whether their illness began
before or after they had resorted to this mode of living.
Of the total (246) the onset of illness was stated in 79 cases to date from a time prior to that
when resort was made to common lodging houses, while in 29 cases it was practically coincident with
entry.
As regards cases developing after commencement of this mode of life, in 37 cases the illness was
first manifested before the expiration of three years; in 17 cases in from three to five years, in 31 cases
in from five to ten years, in 41 cases between ten and twenty years and in 12 cases the illness developed
after more than twenty years of common lodging house life.
Seamen's lodging houses.
In July, 1901, the London County Council made by-laws under Section 214 of the Merchant
Shipping Act, 1894, for the inspection, sanitary condition and well ordering of seamen's lodging houses.
In 1909, after experience of their application, the by-laws were amended, a new series was issued and
came into force on 1st January, 1910.
By an Order in Council dated 19th February, 1910, powers were conferred on the County Council
for the licensing of seamen's lodging houses. The first licensing meeting was held in May of that year
and since that date all such premises are annually licensed.

Proceedings before the magistrate were instituted in 18 cases, resulting in 13 convictions ; of the
five remaining, three were dismissed, one withdrawn and the other adjourned sine die, the defendant
being reported to have gone down with the "Titanic." In only three of the 18 cases were the proceed?ngs
in respect of licensed houses, the offence being in these instances, overcrowding; in all other
cases the summonses were for keeping unlicensed premises.
No cases of infectious disease were reported among inmates of seamen's lodging houses during
the year.