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Cancerous persons had 33 per cent of excessive alcohol
users, 41 per cent excessive smokers, 35 per cent excessive tea
drinkers, 45 per cent large eaters, 33 per cent large meat eaters,
and per cent of constipation.
Non-cancerous persons, living to a greater age, had 17
per cent of excessive alcohol users, 21 per cent excessive smokers,
31 per cent excessive tea drinkers, 44 per cent large eaters,
30 per cent large meat eaters, and 14 per cent of constipation.
Mouth and Throat. These differences are still more marked
with respect to alcohol and smoking, if only those who died from
Cancer of the mouth and throat are considered.
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Of 103 persons dying from Cancer of the lips, tongue,
jaws, fauces, larynx, esophagus and cervical glands, 46 (or 45
per cent took alcohol excessively, while 73 (or 71 per cent)
smoked excessively. 28 of these smoked chiefly a clay pipe, 27
a briar, 3 cigarettes, and 3 cigars. There were only 5 out of
the 37 cases of cancer of the mouth and tongue who did not smoke;
3 of these had bad teeth. Among the non-cancer cases all the
smokers smoked pipes (42 clay and 25 briar, and 5 both), except
two who smoked cigarettes.
Of 161 cases with cancer of other parts than the mouth
and throat 39 (or 24 per cent) took alcohol excessively, and 36
(or 22 per cent) smoked excessively. It would appear, then, that
both, alcohol and smoking (especially alcohol) have some general
effect in promoting cancer, but chiefly exert their injurious influence
locally. This is shown also as regards alcohol by the
figures given below for cancer of the stomach, which occupies an
intermediate position.
Of the 103 oases of cancer of the mouth and throat, 28
(or 27 per cent) were excessive tea drinkers. Tea drinking does
not seem to be specially injurious locally or generally as far as
cancer is concerned. If the injurious effect of smoking were
chiefly due to the local effect of heat one would have expected
excessive drinking of hot tea to have had a similar result.
Of 13 cases of cancer of the stomach, 8 were large eaters
and 2 were large meat eaters. Of 52 cases of cancer of the
stomach 16 (or 31 per cent) were excessive alcohol drinkers.
As regards cancer of the bowels, out of 59 persons dying
from cancer of the intestines, 32 had a regular daily action, and
26 had constipation, i.e., 44 per cent had constipation. Thus
constipation seems to predispose to cancer of the bowels.