104 HEALTH CONDITIONS OF PANAMA. 



B. — Negroes. 



Reduction 



1906. 1912. in 1912. 



Pneumonia 18.46 1.41 17.05 



Malaria 9.74 -21 9-53 



Typhoid and other intestinal diseases 4.66 .29 4.37 



Meningitis 116 .26 .90 



Other Diseases 11.50 4.77 (^■']}, 



Total 45-5^ 6.94 38.58 



C. — Total Force. 



1906. 



Pneumonia 1 5.54 



Malaria 8.39 



Typhoid and other intestinal diseases 4.16 



Meningitis i.oi 



Other Diseases 9.88 



Total 38.98 



Reduction 

 1912. in 1912. 

 14.42 



1. 12 



•27 

 .24 

 .20 



8.12 



3-92 

 .81 



4-54 5-34 



6.37 32.61 



Had the mortality rates of 1906 among" the employes of the 

 Isthmian Canal Commission and the Panama Railroad Company 

 prevailed last year, about 1600 additional deaths would have 

 taken place ; and there would, no doubt, have been a large number 

 of additional deaths among the families of the employes and the 

 other residents on the Canal Zone. 1 consider that we are justi- 

 fied in concluding that most of these lives were saved in precisely 

 the same way as animal life is saved in South Africa — by pre- 

 venting insects from spreading disease. 



Etiology of Cancer. — At the International Medical 

 Congress held a few months ago. Dr. Freund, of Vienna, an- 

 nounced the discovery that there usually exists in normal blood 

 a fatty acid possessing the power of destroying cancer cells. In 

 cases of cancer the blood was found to lack this fattv acid, but, 

 on the other hand, contained a substance which had the property 

 of destroying the acid wdiich would normally destroy the cancer- 

 cells. Dr. Freund belie\es that when cancer tumours develop in 

 the body the normally present fatty acid must have ]5reviously 

 disappeared from or diminished in the blood. 



