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to the cause, equalling a Rate of 0.32 as compared with 0.34 for the
previous year.
Locally the deaths weie : 7 in East Greenwich ; 4 in West
Greenwich ; 2 in St. Nicholas, Deptford ; and 16 in Charlton and
Kidbrooke.
The remaining forms of Tuberculosis were responsible for 3
deaths, 1 of which occurred in West Greenwich and 2 in Charlton
and Kidbrooke.
Cancer.—Cancer 's generally considered to be a disease of
middle and old age and, as indicated in my Annual Report for 1950,
as the proportion of middle-aged and elderly persons in the population
becomes greater, one would normally expect a rise in the
incidence of this disease. In addition, improved diagnosis and more
accurate certification will effect an apparent rise in the number of
cancer deaths. An increase in numbers therefore, is not, per se,
necessarily an indication of increased morbidity.
Cancer was responsible for a total of 161 deaths giving a rate
of 1.77 per thousand, these figures showing a decline of 37 and 0.45
respectively from those of the previous year. The total indicates
that one in every six deaths resulted from cancer of one form or
another. Since 1901 the yearly percentage of cancer deaths has
risen from 4.2 to 16.8, the figure for 1952.
The distribution of the 1952 deaths was as follows : 62 in East
Greenwich, 29 in West Greenwich, 5 in St. Nicholas, Deptford and
65 in Charlton and Kidbrooke.