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9
The history of deaths from Cancer of the breast were investigated
bv Mirs. Harrison, and particulars will be found on page 45.
In order to forestall a request from the financial experts at
Whitehall for information as to the amount of time spent in this
investigation so that the grant allocated to Maternity and Child
Welfare work should be proportionately decreased, I hasten to
state that this work as well as Mrs. Harrison's work for the
Mayor's Distress Fund was carried out in her own time and after
office hours. I have not the staff to carry out routine enquiries of
this description, or in fact, to make proper use of the clinical
material accumulating at the Centres.
On the envelope enclosing the monthly review of Vital
Statistics, issued by the New York State Health Department, is
printed this statement: "Public Health is purchasable. Within
natural limitations any community can determine its own Death
Rate."
Investigators into the probable causes of Cancer are attaching
increasing importance to the question of food as a possible
agent in the causation of this disease. On will be found a note as to the conditions under which
food is prepared for sale to the public, and it may well be
that action taken in the direction of improving the cleanliness of
methods of preparation might be productive of much good to the
health of the public and even be helpful as regards the prevention
of Cancer.
It should also be possible to sample the principal articles of
food under official standards which would make it possible to
secure convictions for adulteration and for adding preservatives.
Maternity and Child Welfare.
The Ministry of Health has been requested to consider proposals
for extending the Maternity and Child Welfare \york of the