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CANCER.
The number of deaths from cancer and other malignant
tumours during 1937 was 367, of which 181 were deaths of males
and 186 of females. This gives a death rate of 1.41 per 1,000 of
the population. The actual number of persons who died from
these conditions is the lowest since 1927, and the death rates show
that the incidence of these deaths was the lowest since 1931. The
death rate for males (1.43) was slightly higher than the death
rate for females (1.40).
The statistics for malignant disease since 1896 for West
Ham and the country as a whole are given in Table XXXV. It
will be seen from this table that both series of death rates have
shown a progressive increase during this period, and that in both
the rates have been practically doubled. It has not so far been
definitely decided whether this increase is due to an actual increase
in the number of persons who die as a result of malignant disease.
It is certain that a part at least of the increase is due to the fact
that diagnosis of these conditions is now more easily and satisfactorily
carried out than was the case three or four decades ago.
There is some evidence, however, that certain types of cancer are
definitely increasing in frequency.
It should be noted that the differential sex rates for the
country as a whole show that at all periods during the last forty
years malignant disease has been a more fruitful cause of death in
females than in males, but that this sex difference appears to be
less marked now that it was formerly. In West Ham the process
of equalization established itself during the early post-war period,
and the death rate for males is now considerably greater than the
rate for females. It is probable that this phenomenon is in part
due to the increasing frequency of deaths from malignant disease
of the lungs or of other parts of the respiratory tract.
It is satisfactory to note that the death rates from cancer
for West Ham have been uniformly lower than the corresponding
death rates for London and the country as a whole.
Details of the deaths from malignant disease for the year
1937 are given in Tables XXXVI(a) and XXXVI(b). Of the
181 male deaths, 16—or 8.8 per cent.—occurred in persons under
40 years of age, and 57—or 31.5 per cent.—in persons over 70
years of age. Of the 186 female deaths, the corresponding percentages
are 3.8 and 25.8 respectively. The incidence in males
106