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13
Deaths from suicide show a decrease of 9, and motor vehicle
accidents totalled 24 (26 in 1955).
The total number of deaths was 2,977 as compared with 2,835
in 1955.
The percentage of deaths under 1 year of age to the total
deaths was 2.3 per cent.; deaths under 15 years, 3.1 per cent.;
deaths under 65 years, 27. 6 per cent.; and deaths over 65 years,
72.4 per cent. The corresponding figures for 1955 were 2.4 per
cent., 3.2 per cent., 28.1 per cent., and 71.9 per cent, respectively.
The Registrar-General has continued to supply a comparability
factor - 0.83 - by which the crude death-rate must be adjusted
for comparison with other areas of the country as a whole. It
will be observed that this factor is less than unity, so that
the standardised, or corrected death-rate, is less than the crude
death-rate. In other words, Croydon has a greater "weighting"
of elderly persons than the average for the country.
CANCER
The gaps in our knowledge regarding the causes of cancer are
very great. Nevertheless, some facts have been established on
which preventive action is possible now. In cancer of the lung,
the commonest form in men, the rate in town dwellers is far higher
than for rural communities. We know that the air of great cities
contains a substance from the combustion of fuels, which has the
power of producing cancers in test animals. It seems reasonable
to urge that pure wholesome air must be assured for town dwellers
in the same way that we provide pure wholesome water. The cost
and technical problems are certainly no greater than those overcome
during the last 100 years by sanitary engineers.
It may be that cancers other than those originating in the
lungs will also diminish in frequency as a result of such action.
We should warn young persons of the connection between the heavy
smoking of cigarettes and lung cancer, which no unbiased observer
°f the facts now denies. Until the reason is discovered and
corrected, they would be wise not to contract the habit, or to
remain very moderate smokers. If they can, confirmed smokers
should similarly abandon or limit their smoking of cigarettes.
With regard to other forms of cancer we can only suggest
early approach for medical advice in the event of symptoms. This
is particularly the case for the commonest forms of cancer in
women, but I must confess that local efforts in cancer education
have so far been entirely disappointing.
For detailed tables see the Appendix, page 89.