View report page

Non-cancerous persons, living to a greater age, had
19 per cent of excessive alcohol users, 22 per cent excessive
smokers, 31 per cent excessive tea drinkers, and 15 per cent
of constipation.
Mouth and throat. These differences are still more marked
with respect to Alcohol and Smoking if only those who died from
cancer of the mouth and throat are considered.
Of 103 persons dying from Cancer of the lips, tongue,
jaws, fauces, larynx, oesophagus and cervical glands, 46 (or
45 per cent) took alcohol excessively, while 73 (or 71 per cent)
smoked excessively. 28 of these smoked chiefly a clay pipe,
27 a briar, 3 cigarettes and 3 cigars. There were only 5 out
of the 37 oases of cancer of the mouth and tongue who did not
smoke; 3 of these had bad teeth. Among the non-cancer cases
all the smokers smoked pipes (42 clay and 25 briar, and 5 both;,
except two who smoked cigarettes.
Of 161 cases with cancer of other parts than the mouth
and throat, 39 (or 24 per cent) took alcohol excessively, and
36 (or 22 per cent) smoked excessively. It would appear, then,
that both alcohol and smoking (especially alcohol) have some general
effect in promoting cancer, but ohiefly exert their injurious
influenoe looally. This is shown also as regard alcohol
by the figures given below for cancer of the stomach, which
occupies an intermediate position.
Of the 103 cases of cancer of the mouth and throat, 28
(or 27 per cent) were excessive tea drinkers. Tea drinking
does not seem to be specially injurious locally or generally as
far as cancer is concerned. If the injurious effect of smoking
were chiefly due to the local effect of heat one would have expected
excessive drinking of hot tea to have had a similar result.
Of 13 cases of cancer of the stomach, 8 were large
eaters and 2 were large meat eaters. Of 52 cases of Cancer
of the stomach 16 (or 31 per cent) were excessive alcohol
drinkers.
As regards cancer of the bowels, out of 59 persons
dying from cancer of the intestines, 32 had a regular daily
action, and 26 had constipation, i.e., 44 per cent had constipation.
Thus oonstipation seems to predispose to cancer of
the bowels.
The following table gives the above results in
tabular form:-
30