The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-05-03

year 1892 pulmonary tuberculosis
held first place in Vermont So death
producer and in 1885 carried off $50
persons. This has been gradually re-
duced and in 1910 only 300 deaths
were, caused by the disease.
The following ar.icle on the cancer
prepared by the Vermont State Medi.
cal society has recetly been given
out for publication: -
According 10 statistics recently
published by the census bureau. Yer
mont has the highest cancer death
rate of any state in the United States
registration area, in 1913 402 people
died from cancer in Vermont, which
giyessthe rate of lilly per 100000 of
the population This is an average
of a little over one victim a day. The
Vermont State Medical association
considers the facts of such signiii-
canoe that it viii cooperate with the
American Society for tic Control OF
Cancer in, an educational campaign
to let the people of the state know
the exact conditions that prevail and
how this diease may be prevented
and cured
The fact that Vermont has the high
est cancer death rate does not neces-
sarily mean that people are especial
" liable to cancer just because they
happen to live here. Accordingto the
census bureau Vermont's high death
rate is accounted for by the relative
" high age distribution OF the poula-
ton and the negligible amount of I'M
migration. Translated into every
day terms this means that in Yer
mont the proportion of the people
over 40 years of age, or al the cancer
age. to those who are under 40. and
so less liable to cancer. is greater
than in other places. This condition
Is doubtless because so many oil the
younger people leave the farms and
rural districts to seek the larger Cit
les of the country.
Cancer is disease of middle and
later life OF the total of 402 deaths
from cancer in the state only 90 were
under so years of age, while 3O2
deaths occurred between the ages OF
, so and so years. Although the rate is
seriously high there should be no
i fear that Vermont is perhaps a cane
er state" in the same sense that we
hear of the mythical cancer houses
and cancer streets" The rates for
| the neighboring states are cores
pondingly high. In 1913 the cancer
death rate for Maine was 1913; New
Hampshire 1914; and Massachusetts
1914. Kentucky had the low record
with the rate of AS. In 1912 Vermont
also led with the rate of ll0.4 per
100000
Cancer is not a hopelessly incur
able affection, as so many people
wrongly believe. Those who know
,the facts are of the opinion that If
the public can be properly educated
in regard to this disease the present
mortality should be reduced at least
half and perhaps twothirds. The
American Society for the Control of
Cancer believes that every intelli-
gent man and woman should be ac-
quainted with the early signs OF cant
Ger and that this knowledge when
fully disseminated will greatly re-
duce the advanced forms of the
disease
The State Medical society will
start the campaign of education in
Vermont by holding series of pub
lie meetings to spread the bad news
of the high cancer death rate and
the good news of the hope of control
ing the disease by earlier recogni-
ton and prompt surgical treatment.
Two kinds of meetings will be held.
In the afternoon the sessions will be
for the benefit of the medical pro-
fession and in the evenings the gen
eral public will be invited. Men of
national reputation will speak and
educational literature will be dis
tributed,