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a regular daily action, and 10 had constipation. It would
appear then that, as far as the figures go, the inquiry indicates
what is already known to many persons that the excessive
use of alcohol and tobacco predisposes to cancer, and especially
cancer of the mouth and throat, and constipation predisposes
to cancer of the bowels.
The inquiries will be continued with a view to obtaining
statistics based on larger numbers.
ALCOHOLISM.
88. There were 5 deaths from alcoholism, and 14 from
cirrhosis of the liver, making a total of 19 deaths probably
due to alcohol, compared with 18, 21, 20, 23, and 20, in the
five preceding years. In addition to these, there were 395
deaths from diseases of the brain and nervous system (excluding
meningitis) heart, blood vessels, and kidneys, of which
a large proportion was certainly caused directly or indirectly
by alcohol. The deaths from these causes in the five preceding
years were 327, 346, 335, 343 and 377, respectively.
The increase last year was chiefly in deaths from diseases of
the kidneys.
It is unsatisfactory to find that the deaths due to alcoholism
do not show as steady a diminution in Woolwich as in the
rest of England.
89. The death-rate from alcoholism and cirrhosis of the
liver was 0.15 in the Borough, and in 1910,0.13 in England and
Wales.