106 COMMISSION ON BUILDING DISTRICTS 



in the old law than in the new law tenements. Secondary cases are those 

 which have been acquired through contact with primary cases. In the 

 new law tenements the incidence of secondary cases is decidedly lower than 

 in the old law tenements. 



About 45 per cent of the tuberculosis patients in this district shared 

 the same room and the same bed with other people. This intimate personal 

 contact, of course, encourages the spread of the disease. Of the rooms 

 occupied by patients with tuberculosis 6 per cent were absolutely dark ; 16 

 per cent dimly lighted ; and 78 per cent lighted by windows in such a 

 manner that artificial light was not required all the time. 



Necessity for districting 



Adequate and effective standards of light and air in the interest of 

 public health, in Dr. Emerson's opinion, can be obtained only through a 

 comprehensive districting plan. 



\ would say, that the opinions of physicians have been expressed in 

 reports which are almost identically worded, dating back at least one hun- 

 dred years, with exactly the same conclusions and recommendations which 

 might be considered parallel with those now arrived at by this Commission ; 

 also that the report of 1832 and previous one of citizens committees on con- 

 ditions of health in this city indicated the necessity of providing fur the 

 future. These recommendations were made when the development of New 

 York City had not vet reached 14th Street. We are still without the neces- 

 sary relief, which nothing but this plan of yours can provide. These health 

 conditions have not improved and the demands for reform have not yet been 

 met. There is no control at the present which would prevent the re-creation 

 of exactly the same unsanitary conditions that have resulted from previous 

 lack' df con triil. 



One of the difficult things, aside from the present sanitary inconvenience 

 and danger, is the condition that was met with in providing space tor 

 offensive trades, such as chicken slaughter houses. The device that was 

 used by the Department of Health to protect adjacent owners and still give 

 the property owners the right to select their own neighbors has never met 

 with entire public approval. A great many of the advantages created 

 through sanitary and housing reform have been lost by reason of the fact 

 that these various laws, which were an improvement over what went before, 

 were not co-ordinated with one another. 



Street cars and communicable diseases 



Another point in which health authorities foresee benefit to public health 

 by a consistent plan fur the control of the future growth of the city is in 

 the improved conditions of occupancy of traffic conveyances. It is appre- 

 ciated and acknowledged that the more congested is a traffic conveyance 

 the more danger >us does it become as a means of transmitting communicable 

 'li i a e to others, and there is a constant proportionate increase in infectious 

 organisms found in the air of traffic conveyances as their congestion 

 increases. 



Observations made in the subway from the Atlantic Avenue station to 

 96th Street and back through the subway during the rush hours has shown 

 a constant increase of disease breeding organisms, such as were responsible 

 for the epidemic of infectious colds during last December, January and 

 February. 



I ibservations show the presence of these bacteria in such amounts as to 

 constitute a serious public menace. The epidemic cost the city two thousand 



