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Deaths and Death Rate
A fall in the death rate occurred in 1955, the figure for this year being
10.91 as compared with 11.17 in 1954. This however was not the lowest death
rate recorded in the Borough, since in 1953 the figure was 10.16, When the
totals of deaths are studied it can be seen that this fall occurred only amongst
males, there being a very slight increase in the total number of female deaths.

Prom this it will be seen that there was a considerable reduction in the
numbers dying from cancer, but a rise of one in the deaths from circulatory
diseases, Included in the figure of 206 for circulatory diseases is one for
coronary disease, and this in 1955 amounted to 98, as compared with 80 for the
previous year (see Table I on page 57), How much of the incidence of coronary
disease could be eliminated by a slower pace of living is still a matter for
medical research, but the fact that one-third of these deaths occur between the
ages of 40 and 65 in the late middle of life, when possibly older people,
particularly during their working hours,, may be trying to carry out much more
than they are physically able to do, is noteworthy and to be taken into account.
Also it might be noteworthy that this figure for coronary disease rose so steeply
during a year when weather temperatures remained very high for a long period of
the summer.
The distribution of cancer deaths in sites and ages is shown below, and it
can be seen from these figures that the number of deaths from lung cancer is
slightly lower than in the previous year and that there is a very high increase
in the number of cancer patients dying from intestinal forms of the disease, The
widespread incidence of chronic constipation and the irritation caused to the
intestinal tissues from this condition may be of importance with regard to this
figure. Statistics concerning constipation are of course non-existent but every
medical practitioner is aware that this has become a very inportant feature of
modern life, and there seems little doubt that the use of refrigerated, dehydrated
and other types of unnatural foodstuffs have played a part in the formation of
this habit with its concomitant evil, the need for taking constant irritant
1axative or purgative drugs.