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20
Cancer.—General.
Deaths from Cancer numbered 346 (184 males, 162 females).
Death-rates per 1,000 of the population for the past ten years
are as follows.
Year Deaths Death rate
1944 178 2.83
1945 189 2.16
1946 185 1.81
1947 206 1.95
1948 189 1.78
1949 232 2.17
1950 186 1.74
1951 226 2.15
1952 233 2.23
1953 337 3.35
Cancer.—Lung and Bronchus
It is only since 1950 that there has been available figures of the
annual number of deaths from Cancer of the Lung and Bronchus.
From the figures so far available (1950 to 1953 inclusive) it is
evident that Cancer of the Lung is increasing as a cause of death,
especially among males.
Year Males Females Total
1950 25 10 35
1951 33 14 47
1952 38 11 49
1953 62 17 79
Smoking and Lung Cancer
In 1950 there was published in the British Medical Journal
a paper by Dr. Doll and Prof. Bradford Hill giving evidence of the
existence of a causal relationship between smoking and cancer of
the lung. A second paper, reinforcing their previous findings,
appeared in the same Journal in 1952, and in 1953 there appeared
a further paper by three American workers showing that the
experimental painting of mice with tobacco tar caused a cancer
of the skin.