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44
cancer.
The causes of death of the 10 suspected cases—
Heart disease—5 Bronchitis—3 Mastoid disease—1 Tub. meningitis—1
of the 8 definite cases—
Heart disease—2 Bronchitis, puerperal fever, empyema, 1each Acute
ulcerative endocarditis, gastric carcinoma, miliary 1
tuberculosis,
With regard to the death from puerperal fever the certifying practitioner reported that on
post-mortem examination not a trace of tuberculous disease could be found, and the same
observation applies to many of the others.
CANCER.
The deaths from the various forms of malignant disease included under this popular
heading numbered 167 last year, 70 of males and 97 of females. In 1910 the total was 165, but
the difference between the two years does not afford grounds for thinking that the mortality
from the malignant neoplasmata is stationary or tending to decrease. Indeed, the records kept
in the Department point to just the opposite. Bearing in mind the fact that both the population
of the Borough and the total mortality have decreased during the past ten years, the subjoined
figures (total numbers of deaths from " cancer") must be acccpted as showing that the mortality
from this cause is still increasing.
1901-05. 1906-10. 1911.
Males 59 67 70
Females 95 103 97
Total 154 170 167
Very careful analyses have been made of the deaths from this cause for the last twenty
years, but the present occasion is not opportune for entering on a discussion of the records. It
is hoped that it may be possible to submit at a later date a special report dealing with the
mortality from the various forms of malignant new growths.
The mortality last year was 1.17 per 1,000, as compared with a mean rate of 118. The
numbers of deaths and rates for the past six years are given below:—
1906. 1907. 1908. 1909. 1910. 1911.
Deaths 164 178 185 156 165 167
Mortality 1.14 1.24 1.29 1.09 1.15 1.17
In Table 10 the rates from "cancer" during the past year and the mean rates for 1906-10
in the circumjacent districts are given. Before proceeding to say anything about those figures,
it should be pointed out that the rates are " nett," not " corrected " rates,* and that the rates
recorded in the different districts would be altered considerably by correction for variations in
sex and age constitutions of the populations. As the figures stand, it will be seen that the
Paddington rate for last year (1.17) was exceeded only by those of Westminster (1.28) and
St. Marylebone (1.36), and that all the rates recorded last year were in excess of the means,
except in the case of Willesden (rate, 1911, 0.74; mean, 0.83). The rate for the Metropolis last
year (1.04) was 0 06 less than the mean (1.10).
The usual analysis of the deaths according to sex and seat of the disease, and sex and age,
is given in Table 29. Reference should also be made to Tables III. and IV., Appendix A.
* See footnote p. 9.