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15
1957 1958
All deaths: Males 458 486
Females 562 589
Totals- 1,020 1,075
Tuberculosis, all forms 5 11
Infectious diseases 9 6
Cancer, all forms 230 257
Heart and circulatory diseases 355 374
Diseases of respiratory system 128 119
All accidents 21 34
Suicide 23 27
The deaths from tuberculosis and other infectious
diseases are so small in number that the differences between
1957 and 1958 although proportionately large do not indicate
any significant trend.
The number of cases of cancer of the lung dropped
from 57 in 1957 to 51 in 1958, but the increase in the total
number of deaths from all forms of cancer has been a tendency
for some years. It is unfortunate that proposals for giving
publicity about cancer have not met with a great deal of approval
either from the medical profession or from other interested bodies
and there is still a great deal of ignorance and of misunderstanding
amongst the public. One idea which is quite incorrect is that
cancer is never cured. This is probably due to the fact that
whilst the human body is capable of overcoming the great majority
of diseases and injuries if left alone in reasonable circumstances,
the cure of cancer depends on medical treatment. Other diseases
may be ignored and may cure themselves; cancer will never cure
itself and if ignored will merely proceed to such a state that
our present means of treatment will be ineffective„ Even with an
enlightened public the position is not without difficulty because
for the most part and in the early stages at least, cancer is
comparatively painless and may not give rise to any symptoms that
the patient can distinguish.
It is unfortunate that much more publicity is not given
to those cases of cancer which are cured in order to convince
those persons who will only believe either that the condition
has not been cured or that it never was cancer anyway.
Still more important perhaps is to prevent cancer
developing. Many substances which are used in industry are
known to cause cancer and steps have been taken to safeguard