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6
DEATH-RATE.
One hundred and eighty-six deaths were registered as
having occurred in the Harrow district, or were allotted to
Harrow, of these 95 were males, and 91 females ; 26 persons
(9 males and 17 females) died over the age of 80 years ;
one woman reached the age of 104. The average death-rate
for the last five years has been g.5, and that is also the deathrate
for 1921, viz., 9.5.
Among the chief causes were :—
Cancer 36
Heart Disease 17
Pulmonary Tuberculosis 11
Pneumonia 16
Bronchitis 11
Diphtheria 5
No woman died in, or in consequence of child-birth.
Tables of vital statistics will be found at the end of the
Report. With reference to the chief causes of death we ought
not to be satisfied with the mere statement that so many died
from malignant disease or cancer, It is acknowledged that
this dire complaint is on the increase, and doubtless more
active measures should be taken if possible to arrest the incidence
of the disease. A Special Commission should be held,
perhaps International, to co-ordinate the good work already
done, and to demand from every practitioner full details of all
cases attended. We hear of real progress being made in 1921,
but it is evident that no definite causes have been found, much
less a remedy. No money would be ill spent to fight so grave
a menace to the public health, or to engage the best brains of
the country to work out schemes to that end. Until sufficient
funds are forthcoming every Public Health Office in the Kingdom
should have in a conspicuous place a collecting box
labelled " For Cancer Research," to receive the smallest contribution
of the many who would give if only they knew where
to send. At the present time a large percentage of cases are
hopeless, because advice is sought too late!
PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS.
I am not at all satisfied about our mortality from consumption
or pulmonary tuberculosis. It seems impossible to
fix the causation except in a few cases. It is said that two
cows in every 100 are tubercular, and that the milk is capable
of infecting the susceptible, but this is certainly not the whole
story.