THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER [To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
Sm,—A few days ago the British Empire Cancer Campaign published a popular volume, The Truth About Cancer. It minimizes the cancer danger, tells us that " there is at birth an eight to one chance against dying of cancer " (page 15), and that the average medical practitioner has only " about two deaths from cancer per annum " (page 15). The volume is written by, and on behalf of, laboratory workers and surgeons, whose work is described and extolled, and we are urged once more that the only cure is to be found in early operation or ray treatment. Not a word is said about the prevention of cancer. Diet and methods of living are treated as of no importance, for we read : " There is no shred of reliable evidence that consumption of, or abstinence from, any particular article of diet leads to the occurrence of cancer " (page 24).
During several decades there has been a nation-wide propaganda for early and thorough treatment of cancer by the knife, radium, &c. The Ministry of Health has published a number of volumes purporting to show that early treatment leads to a very large percentage of cures. One would have imagined that the intensified propaganda for early surgery, which has borne fruit, as is known to every surgeon, would have led to a reduction in the cancer death-rate. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. In 1911, 35,902 out of 527,810 deaths in England and Wales were due to cancer. In 1928, 56,253 deaths out of 460,389 were due to cancer. During 1911-1928 the cancer mortality has increased by 56 per cent., notwithstanding the most strenuous pro- paganda for early operation and the enormous increase of early operations. In 1911 one death out of every fifteen was due to cancer. In 1028 one death out of every eight was due to cancer. The relative cancer mortality has practically doubled, and yet the volume extols surgical treatment as the only cure, treating the disease fatalistically and unavoidable and deriding the widely held opinion that cancer is due to our way of living.
Hundreds of eminent physicians and surgeons practising among primitive races have stated that they have hardly ever encountered cancer among the natives, but have treated many cases among the white men living in their midst. Cancer is currently described as a disease of old age. Primitive races, we are told, have little cancer because people die relatively young. From the British statistics we know that butchers, workers in the drink trade, and seamen are the most short-lived people. If cancer was, indeed, a disease of old age, the cancer mortality should be far higher among the
long-lived clergymen and agricultural labourers than among the short-lived butchers, workers in the drink trade and seamen. In reality the cancer mortality among the latter is from two to three times as great as among the long-lived agricultural labourers and clergymen. Plain natural living has its reward in long life, and the smallest cancer death-rate known. Among the primitive South African negroes cancer is extremely rare. Among the Europeanized negroes in the coast towns and in the United States it is extremely frequent. Cancer is a disease of civilization and largely preventable. It is a pity that the British Empire Cancer Campaign has issued this very Albion Lodge, Fortis Green, East Finchley, N. 2.
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