THE NATION'S HEALTH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20354, 10 March 1928, Page 13

THE NATION'S HEALTH.

THE LONGEST LIVES. FARM BAILIFFS AND ANGLICAN CLERGY. (From Our Own Couresi (indent.) LONDON, January 25. Some interesting statements are made in the Decennial Supplement for England, covering the period 1921-23, of the Regis-trar-general (Part 11, Occupational Mor tality; Fertility and Infantile Mortality); Occupational and social conditions that have a direct bearing on mortality are described. It is shown, for instance, that the lower the descent in the social scale the greater is the liability to many fatal diseases, though there are certain causes of death that, represent the tell of opulent living. Cancer, again, which attacks the alimentary tract and the skin, is shown to claim most of its victims from among the poorer sections of the community, though in its ether forms it attacks rich and poor indifferently. Some of the most interest, ing revelations of this elaborate review of the 1921-23 death rates may bo summarised: Farm bailiffs and foremen have the healthiest of all occupations. Then come Anglican clergymen, insurance officials, and bank officials, in the order given. Among 178 specified occupations the worst are those of cutlery grinders and tin and copper miners working underground. Non conformist ministers are the class least liable to cancer, the Anglican clergy coming second in tho list, Lank officials third, and machine compositors fourth. Waiters have tho worst cancer record—the most numerous of their affections are in the larynx. Barristers are the worst suf forers of all from diseases of the digestive system. Publicans, brewers, barmen, and collarmcn have also bad records, and so have actors incl dentists. Barrister, bank officials, architects, and auctioneers are the professional men most largely affected by fatal appendicitis. Cirrhosis of the liver has most victims among employees in the licensed trade, and with them are mentioned dentists, solicitors, authors, and jornalists, EFFECT OF PROSPERITY. “ Prosperity, on the whole, makes for longevity, though there are certain pitfalls which is provides for tho imprudent,” is an obiter dictum coined by the registrargeneral, who, for purposes of comparisons, divides the entire population into five classes, the first of these being assigned to professional people living under good or reasonable conditions of comfort, while the fifth drops down to the unskilled workers with the most meagre standard of Fving. Ho has also an extra class for previously occupied men who have retired, and still another for wliat he terms tho ‘‘ never occupied.’’ Incidentally, as regards this last, there is revealed a relatively high mortality rate from suicide, tuberculosis in all its forms, and diseases of the nervous system. . It is pointed out that the possession or means may sometimes merely load to a health-destroying indulgence. Cirrhosis of the liver for instance, is described as “broadly, speaking, a disease that, costs money, and it is incurred in proportion to financial resources.” On the other hand, it mav also be acquired —and this the figures demonstrate—by contact with alcoholism in the pursuit of one’s occupation. PENALTY OF OPULENCE. Diabetes is also officially defined <s a trouble that “ affects chiefly the classes provided with the financial means of overeating and undcr-oxercising.” That it is often attributable to financial circumstances rather than to environment is illustrated by the case of the farmer and his labourers. The farmer, who probably gets a good deal more to cat, is much more subject to diabetes than his workers are, though both classes of men belong to the country. . , It is tho people in tho higher social stations who are chiefly affected by diseases of the digestive system. Presumably this is attributable to over-indulgence in food and drink by those in a position to commit this error, and an excess of mortality xoilows the “ breaking down of tho overstrained machinery.” It,, is between the ages of 45 and 70 that this differential mortality chiefly manifests itself, and tf at is the time of life when, by common ooeervation, the effects of tho causes that bring 1 it about are chiefly to be teen tho medicinal spas. CANCER AND ITS TOLL. It is shown that cancers of certain parts of the body are very much more frequent in the poorer sections of society. The parts of the body in question are the mouth, tongue, larynx, throat, and stomach, and, the skin. Cancers of all other parts are equally distributed over tho w’hole male population. The Kcgis-ttar-gcneral offers the suggestion that the areas in which cancer is more common among the poorer sections of society are those which are “ exposed to irritation by environmental influences in the shape of food and drink,” and since there is a “ sharp line of demarcation at the .pylorus ” this may well be the true explanation. A further fact is that men are much more liable to suffer from cancer of the “ exposed areas (i.e., mouth to stomach and skin) than are women, OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS. The Registrar-general states that “ the position of the clergy of aIL Protestant denominations at the head of the list (of occupations which have the lowest cancer mortality) “is so remarkable, in view of the extent of their advantage over any other occupation, and of the fact that cancer mortality is slight also for Roman Catholic clergy, that it seems impossible to attribute it merely to chance. . Among occupations showing the highest mortality from cancer of the mouth, throat, and stomach are those of waiters, barmen, and ccllarmen. Cancer oi the tongue is more frequently met with in barmen than in any other occupational group. The special association of cancer of those sites with dietetic conditions is confirmed to some extent by these discoveries. The following table is given:—OCCUPATIONS IN ORDER OF CANCER MORTALITY (ALL SITES). Lowest Mortality. Highest Mortality, 1. Ministers (not 1. China kiln and Anglican). oven men. 2. Anglican clergy. 2. Puddlers. 3. Bank officials. 3. Gas stokers. 4. Machine com- 4. Hat formers, positors. 6. Cotton spinners 5. Leather goods and piecers. makers. 6. Barmen. 0. Stone masons 7. Cellarmed. and quarriers. 8. Tin and copper 7. Railway signal- miners (under men. ground), 8. Photographers. 9. Cutlery grind9. Grain millers. ers. 10. Farm bailiffs. 10. Waiters. In tho case of the cotton spinners and gas stokers cancer occurs mostly on tho skin. Fishermen and bargemen, and to a lesser extent, seamen, show an excess of skin cancers over the average rate for ail occupied and retired males. “An excess of 68 per cent, for seamen compares with that of 3C6 per cent, for fishermen and 286 per cent, for bargemen.” Tho suggestion is offered that in some of these cases tar may be the exciting cause. ft is further pointed out that nearly ail occupations noted as showing excessive skin mortality from cancer show also an ex cessivo mortality from cancer in sites other than the skin. HIGHLY PKEVENTIBLE CHARACTER. Cancer, then, of the skin, mouth, throat, and stomach appears to be as definitely subject to social influences as does tuberculosis. “It appears,” says tho RegistrarGeneral, “ that a largo porportion at least of cancer mortality is of a highly preventible nature, for we must suppose that if the conditions of life of all sections of society could be assimilated to those of me upper ranks, mortality from cancer of the exposed sites would fall, for all classes, to the Class I level. Indeed, it is very possible that knowledge of the preventible causes accounting for the difference might provide tho means of reducing, if not eliminating, those forms of cancer for all causes, for those causes might well be found to apply in varying degrees to all sections of society.” Cancer in the “ exposed areas ” (tongue, throat, and stomach) is 58 per cent, of the average in Social Class I (upper and middle), and 140 per cent, of the average in Social Class V (unskilled workers). In tho case of phthisis (consumption) tho figures are 49 per cent, of the average in Social Class I, and 140 per cent, m Social Class V. Consumption is “ lowest ” among builders’ foremen, farm bailiffs, and foremen, barristers, ministers of religion, anil bank and insurance officials; and' highest” among tin and copper miners, eutlerv ■rrinders, clock labourers, and costermongers. Diabetes affords a sharp contrast to cancer and consumption. It is a disease of tho well-to-do, and so. also, to soma extent, is appendicitis, which seems to bo specially prevalent- among barristers.