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108
Constitutional Diseases.
These diseases form a group which are only second in
importance to those known as the epidemic diseases. They
include rheumatic fever, rheumatism, rickets, diabetes, gout,
anaemia, and above all, tuberculosis, whether of the lungs or
any part of the body.
During the year they caused 904 deaths.
CANCER AND MALIGNANT DISEASES.
One hundred and twenty-two deaths from cancer and
malignant diseases were recorded during the year. They were
equal to a death rate of 11.1 per 10,000 of the population, which
is 1.2 in excess of the rate recorded in the preceding year, while
the actual number of deaths were 13 in excess of the same year.
When comparison is made with the mean return for the preceding
10 years, it is found that they are 34 in excess.
This group of diseases continues to show an uninterrupted
increase, and, indeed, an examination of the figures proves that
whereas there were only 482 deaths in the five years 1902 to
1906, there were 516 in the years 1907-1911, or an increase of
nearly 7 per cent. This indeed is a matter of the utmost
moment, and it is therefore no wonder that we hear of cancer
research funds and endowments of special institutions for
inquiry into the cause of this disease.