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98
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
It is not possible to say definitely whether this increase in the
Cancer death-rate is a real increase. Some of the increase is due
to the more exact certifying of the cause of death, but there is no
doubt that some is due to an actual increase in the number of
deaths.
Professor de Bois, of the Reims School of Medicine, has made
an exhaustive inquiry into this question, and a summary of his
report appeared in the British Medical Journal in October, 1892.
The conclusions he arrived at were as follows:—
That Cancer of the Uterus and of the female Breast
have declined.
That Cancer of the Rectum appears to be stationary.
That Cancer of the Mouth and of the upper digestive
tract have greatly increased.
That the most important element in the rise of the
Cancer death-rate is that from Visceral Cancer.
Dr. Templeman, of Dundee, has published a report on the
deaths from Cancer in Dundee, and has arrived at conclusions
which in some respects coincide with those of Professor de Bois.
Dr. Templeman, however, found that Cancer of the Uterus
and Breast have slightly increased, but that the great increase
in females was due to increase in Cancer of the Abdominal
Viscera.
He also found that in males the highest mortality is from
Cancer of the Abdominal Viscera.
He also states that "Cancer of 'accessible' regions has in"creased,
as well as that of parts not so accessible, and where
"the diagnosis is more difficult, but the increase in the latter is
"out of all proportion to that in the former class."
An examination of the statistics for the Borough, as far as
they are available, leads to practically similar conclusions.