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The improvement noted in the cancer death rate in 1954 has not been maintained;
seen now in perspective it can only be regarded as a chance fluctuation in a continuing
upward trend. The increase over 1954 has occurred mainly in cancer of the stomach
and the lung for males and in cancer of the breast and uterus for females: over the
eight years shown in the table above the cancer death-rate has increased by 24 per cent.
in males and by 7 per cent. in females; the corresponding percentage increases for
England and Wales are, males 13 per cent. and females 4 per cent. Most of the increase
in males is due to cancer of the lung which now accounts for approximately one-third
of all cancer in both London and England and Wales.
The long term trend in London for both sexes combined can be seen from Table 4
(page 182). The increase there shown is due partly to the increasing age of the population
and partly to improved diagnosis, but some part is undoubtedly attributable to increased
incidence.
The big differences in death-rates between the sexes at ages 45-64 and at 65 years
and over, should be viewed in the light of the contribution cancer makes to total
mortality at these ages. The total death-rate at ages 45-64 is for males, 14-7, and for
females 7.4, and the contribution of cancer to these rates is 30 per cent. for males and
40 per cent, for females: at age 65 and over the corresponding contributions are, for
males 19 per cent., and for females 15 per cent. (the total death-rates at this age are,
males 83.2. and females 56.2).
Cerebral
haemorrhage,
etc.
The death-rate from vascular lesions of the central nervous system in 1955 was
1.25 per 1,000, slightly higher than the figure of 1.20 in 1954. It would appear that
the rate, which had steadily increased from 1.01 in 1948 to 1.27 in 1952, has stabilised
at around the latter figure.
Bronchitis
and
Pneumonia
The death-rate for the bronchitis and pneumonia group was 1.51 in 1955 compared
with 1.14 in 1954. These are essentially diseases affecting the aged more than any other
age group and hence the rise in mortality from these causes is a reflection of the rise in
mortality of old people in 1955.
Degenerative
diseases
If, as an indication of mortality from degenerative diseases, death from heart
disease, other circulatory diseases, cerebral vascular lesions, nephritis and bronchitis are
combined, the following figures emerge:

The rates in post-war years still appear to be running higher than pre-war, but
degenerative diseases appear to be a reflection of movements in the total death-rate
and continue to be responsible for over half of it—doubtless a reflection of the increasing
longevity of the population.
Digestive
diseases
Mortality from digestive diseases (other than cancer) in 1955 was 0.43 per 1,000
(0.42 in 1954). Within this group the death-rate from ulcer of the stomach or duodenum
was 0.16 per 1,000, the same as in 1953 and 1954.
Diabetes
Diabetes mortality fell steadily between 1939 and 1948 and as will be seen from
Table 4 (page 182) the current figure of 0.07 is lower than that for any quinquennium
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