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28
OTHER TUBERCULOUS DISEASES.
Other forms of tuberculosis not included under the head of phthisis caused 69 deaths, and of
these 47 occurred in children under the age of 5 years. The death-rate was 38 per 100,000. It is
satisfactory to note that the mortality from these diseases has shown a definite tendency to decline
in the past three years, although the fall has not been so marked as in the case of phthisis. Of the
children who die from tuberculosis-meningitis, or tuberculosis of the intestines and peritoneum,
many are probably infected by consumptive relatives whilst others are not improbably infected
through tuberculous cow's milk.
During the last quarter of the year, the officials of the London County Council, under the
powers conferred by Part IV of the General Powers Act, 1907, took 810 samples of milk sent to
London from various parts of the country. In 73 of the samples taken the bacilli of tuberculosis
were shown to be present. During the same quarter out of 4,455 cows inspected on farms supplying
milk to London, 74 were found to be suffering from tuberculosis of the udder. The penalty for
selling milk from a cow with tuberculosis of the udder is £10. The action of the London County
Council and other authorities, notably Manchester and Birmingham, may be expected to reduce the
amount of tuberculous milk put on the market, to diminish the prevalence of tuberculosis among
children, and to lead to the adoption by farmers of more effective measures for the prevention of
tuberculous disease among cattle.
Other Causes of Death or Disablement.—The deaths attributed to bronchitis and heart
diseases numbered 500, but of this number no less than 262, or more than half, occurred in persons
aged 65 years and upwards, and should be regarded as incidental to old age rather than as the
outcome of preventible disease. Rupture does not figure among the causes of death, save in a
small number of cases where the condition was followed by strangulation of the intestine, but it is
nevertheless a frequent source of disablement. The same may be said of chronic rheumatism,
which caused only seven deaths, and of varicose veins. As a fertile source of disablement and
consequent pauperism, these three diseases inflict far greater injury on the individual and the
community than many of the conditions shown in the Appendix as comparatively frequent causes
of death.
ALCOHOLISM.
Cirrhosis of the Liver, a disease intimately associated with alcoholism, caused 20 deaths. In
only three instances was death certified as directly due to the abuse of alcohol. The death returns
thus afford no index of the amount of disease and social inefficiency caused by alcohol in the
Borough.
CANCER.
The total number of deaths certified as due to various forms of cancer was 205. Of this
number 122 were attributed to carcinoma, 14 to sarcoma and 69 to cancer, or malignant disease.
The parts of the body affected are shown in the following table :—