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7
To the Chairman and Members of the
Chislehurst and Sidcup Urban District Council.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentleman,
So often now has the association between smoking and lung
cancer been stressed in these reports, that one can well imagine
the regular smoker saying "Why pick on me?" Perhaps the reason
will become more evident than ever when it is pointed out that the
number of deaths from lung cancer in the district has now risen to
its highest ever level and has indeed, shot up from 33 in the previous
year to the alarming figure of 52 in 1962. It is also significant
that the total number of deaths from cancer of all sites in the body
has not risen. When the Royal College of Physicians report on
Smoking and Health was published, the Public Health Committee
took such a serious view of the position, that they decided they
would not smoke at their meetings in future, thus publicly
acclaiming their strong feelings in the matter. One feels that any
and every example of this nature makes its small but very valuable
contribution to the overall campaign, and although progress must
be admitted to be very slow, one does see rays of hope, such as
the public request to the Southern Region of British Railways to
increase the non-smoking accommodation on their trains—a request
which will, of course, have its effect on the local trains.
In addition to the wastage of life brought about by cancer of
the lung, there has also been an increase in the number of deaths
from respiratory diseases in general. The fact that these deaths
have increased from 95 to 126 during the past year is also an indication
of the seriousness of the cigarette problem, for there can
be little doubt that smoking made a major contribution to many
of these deaths. While on the subject of respiratory diseases in
general, the opportunity should not be lost of mentioning the fact
that atmospheric pollution is also an important factor in the
development of these diseases, and one is therefore glad to know
that the Public Health Committee is very interested in this problem
and very mindful of the need to make the whole district one in
which smoke control operates as soon as possible.
Although the incidence of death by heart diseases fell a little
by comparison with 1961, it was still the second highest number
ever recorded and once again grave suspicion must be aroused
that the tobacco habit is at least to some extent responsible. Another
especially distressing cause of death is violence and the total loss
of 35 from this cause is both disturbing and wasteful, but on the
other hand a record low number of deaths from tuberculosis,
namely three, was recorded, and when one realises that this figure