The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-09-26
WIDESPREAD INCREASE
 IN DEATHS FROM CANCER
 FEATURE OF DEATH FIGURES

| Washington. Sept. 26.-While the to-
 tai number, 81, ,720, of deaths from tu-
 berculosis in 1909 was greater than for Fany preceding year and exceeded by 1 3.431 the number, 7S. 289. compiled for 1 1908, the death rate, in the Census Bureaus death registration States and cities, showed a decline from 173.9 in 1908 to 1875 per 100000 estimated pop
 ulation in 1909, as reported in the forthcoming Census Bureau bulletin on
 mortality statistics prepared by pr. Greasy L. Wilbur, chief statistician for vital statistics. and submitted to D1-
 rector Durand.
 The 1909 rate is the lowest on record
 for the census registration area al-
 though it should be remembered that
 the rates for this area to which large
 additions were made in 1906, 1903 ana
 throughout the period covered with
 respect to constitution of population
 The addition of the new registration
 state of Ohio for 1909, for example, by
 bringing in a considerable rural popu- 1atfon with normally low death rate
 from tuberculosis, would tend to de- press the death rate from this cause for the registration area as whole.
 It is remarkable. the bulletin states, that the aggregate of registration
 cities. which is not affected by the transfer of cities from the group of cities in nonregistration states to the group of cities in registration states, shows practically the same number
 54, ,461, of deaths for 1909 as for 1908, which was 54, ,4e6, or a decrease of only deaths.
 DEATHS FROM TUBERCULOSIS
 DECREASING.
 Excluding Ohio. which is shown only for 1909, Il ef the IF registration states for which data are given pre- sented numerical decreases in deaths from tuberculosis for 1909 as compared with 1908, the largest being in New
 York (415) and Rhode Island Q07)- Deaths from tuberculosis increased in Washington (91) and California (78) among the six States showing more deaths from this cause. Among the larger cities the chief fluctuations were increases of 85 for St. Louis, Mo. 61 for Minneapolis, Minn.. 5s for Toledo, Ohio, and 56 for New Haven, Conn.j significant from their small amount; while decreases of 222 occurred for New York, 194 for Philadelphia, and 149 for New Orleans.
 Cancer showed a, much greater pro portional increase in the number of deaths than tuberculosis, rising from 33 3,465 for 1908 to 37 .562 for 1909. The death rate increased from 743 to N, the latter being the highest crude death rate from cancer thus far re- corded for the registration area of the United States.
 It should be remembered, the bulle tin points out, that cancer is one of the diseases having peculiar age dis tribution for which the study of crude death rates Is apt to be especially nls- leading, and until a careful analysis can be made of the data, with refer ence to the population details available after the compilation of the census of the present year, it will be wise to limit inferences to the fact that the number of deaths so reported and the crude rate from this cause show con- stant tendency to increase from year to year. The probability of more ac- I curate statement of this disease as a ] cause of death by attending physicians must be taken into consideration, and | the fact that the saving of. livess from l and other preventable dis l eases of early or middle life would l leave more persons subject to cancer l at the cancer ages, and thus increase | the total number of deaths from this | cause and the crude. cancer rate. al l though the actual incidence of the dis ease at the various periods of life 1 may not have been altered material Iy.
 The distribution of cancer according | to location on the body shows little