BY EUGEN HIRSCHFELD, M.D. 9B 



diagnosis than in men, where cancer frequently affects the 

 internal organs. And this view seems to be corroborated by the 

 fact that owing to the constantly improving methods of diagnosis 

 the increase had been less rapid among women than among men, 

 where formerly they had been overlooked in consequence of 

 defective diagnosis and classified in the returns of the Registrar- 

 General under other headings. I may here mention that this 

 more rapid increase of cancer in males has also been noticed in 

 several European countries, and that the above reason Avas the 

 explanation of the phenomenon. However, when we go more 

 fully into the matter, we are forced to come to different con- 

 clusions. Drs. Ogle and Grims have shown that, as far as 

 England was concerned, all the seats of the disease have parti- 

 cipated in the increase, not only the more occult ones. Dr. Roger 

 Williams made an analysis of 2,6G9 cases of cancer occurring in 

 males, which came under treatment in four large metropolitan 

 hospitals in London, and came to the conclusion that it was 

 erroneous to assume that most male cancers are situated in 

 inaccessible regions. He found of per 100 2G-3 affecting tongue 

 and mouth, 14-3 the skin, 12-2 the lower lip, and G-8 other parts 

 of the surface. Thus more than 60 per cent of cancer affect 

 parts of the body in which it may be diagnosed by mere inspec- 

 tion where an error of diagnosis is hardly possible. As regards 

 Australia we have to remark that, though Victoria exhibits a more 

 rapid increase of male than of female cancer-cases, we observe 

 the converse fact to occur in New South Wales, as demonstrated 

 by the following figures. Increase per 1000 deaths from 1875 

 to 1888 :— Males, 17 (1875) to 24 (1888) ; females, 10 (1875) to 

 33 (1888). 



It is interesting to note that women succumb to canoer 

 at an earlier age than men generally do. The greatest lia- 

 bility to malignant new growths is exhibited by women 

 between 45 and 55 years, while that of men is from 55 to 65. 

 And here I should like to draw your attention to a very remark- 

 able fact. The more we go towards north the lesser 

 seems to become the resisting power of the femalt; 

 organism. In Queensland women are fully five years earlier 

 affected by cancer than the women of New South Wales, and 

 they again are in a more unfavourable position compared with 



