Daily camera., 1898-12-02
INCREASE OF CANCER
An Alarming Condition Which Con-
fronts Chicago People.
Conclusive Proof That the Increase
in Deaths from This Malady Il
very Rapid-Causs for In
eYsasink Mortality.

DR.. w. Roger Williams, fellow Of the
Royal college OF surgeons, in the Lon
don Lancet calls attention to the re-
markable increase in the number OF
deaths from cancer, as shown by the
yearly report of the registrar general
for England and Wales. He says that
while medical science and improved
sanitation have very perceptibly stayed
the progress of diseases like typhoid
fever, smallpox and tuberculosis, moth
ing has been done to check the spread
of cancer, which threatens "ere long
to be as lethal deadly as all the
above-me ntioned maladies combined"
In support of his statements DR..
Williams gives table of deaths from
cancer in England and Wales from 1910
to 1896. With a total population OF
15.73O,S13 IN the former year, there
were only 2,7S6 deaths from cancer.
Last year, when the population was
3O,717,355, or less than double what it
was Sc years previously, the deaths
from cancer had risen to 1854, or
more than eight times as many. While
there was one death from cancer in
1s4O to s,646 population, the proper
ton in 1896 had increased to one to
1906. In 1910 only one death in 129
of total deaths was from cancer; in
1896 the proportion was / to %.
This subject is one of local interest
in Chicago, where the mortuary sta
lo of
Ger is not confined to England and
Wales. In the year 1851 there was only
one death from cancer in Chicago, the
percentage being then less than one
tenth per cent. of the total mortality.
In 1896 there were 734 dea tbs from can
Ger in Chicago, the percentage having
risen to 3.15 of the total mortality.
The table of cancer mortality in Chi
cago shows steady and alarm
ing increase of deaths from this
cause. In 1858 there were only
four deaths from cancer, in 1867
only IS, in 1877 only 100, in 1887 only
23O, but last year there were 773, and
for the first six months of 1898, the
healthiest year in our record, not less
than 4O2 deaths from cancer were re-
ported.
This is startling and conclusive proof
that cancer as a cause OF death IS on
the increase in Chicago in about the
same ratio as in England and Wales.
Our vital statistics show that the NOR
tality from consumption has remained
practically stationary since 1851, that
from pneumonia has increased, from
diphtheria declined, from bronchitis
increased, from Group declined, from
scarlet fever declined, from typhoid
fever declined while smallpox has al
most been eIi1nina ted from the list of
continuous causes of death.
DR.. Williams believes that high feed
ing, especially in the almost "glutton-
Gus consumption Of meat" Is TO be
found the cause for the increasing
mortality from cancer. The statia-
tics show that. the disparity between
the tendency of males and females to
cancer is disappearing. DR.. Williams
thinks, this Is the result Of urbaniza-
ton, which renders the conditions Of
life for men and women more closely
the same. But, finally. he concludes
that excess of food, with want of
proper exercise and changed sur-
roundings, IL the chief causative agent
of the increase OF cancer"
1t is subject that our health au-
thorities should look into.-Chicago
Post. ss...:rss-rs.s4sz ..