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23
The mean annual death-rate from Cancer for the sixteen years
1890-1905 was 0.590, and the average number of deaths per year
from this cause has been 38, or, after allowing for increase of
population, 50 deaths.
The accompanying chart shows graphically the death-rates
from cancer. It is seen that during the first nine years the rate
was only once above the mean death-rate for the whole period,
while during the last 7 years on only two occasions has the rate
been as low as the mean. There is clearly a greatly increased
mortality from cancer in the later years.
Probably part of this increase is more apparent than real,
and something must be allowed for a better classification of causes
of death in more recent years.
It is probable that, owing to advances in medical knowledge,
many deaths are now correctly attributed to cancer which were
formerly put down to other causes.

Ninety per cent. or the deaths occurred in persons over 45
years of age.
The death-rates from Cancer for each Ward of the Borough
are not given here. Cancer as a cause of death is, practically, only
operative among that portion of the population over 40 years of
age, and the death-rate from this cause ought to be calculated on
the number of persons over 40 years of age, and not on the total
population. Unfortunately the census returns do not give the
number of persons at various ages for the separate wards, and as
the proportion of persons over 40 years of age probably varies
considerably in different wards any calculation that did not allow
for this would be misleading.