96 ON THE PREVALENCE OF CANCER IN AUSTRALASIA. 



Though I do not feel inchned to entirely disregard the 

 view that excessive preponderance of meat may predispose 

 to cancer, I must confess that there are great difficulties in 

 assignmg a reason for it. Cancer, though fairly common in dogs 

 and horses, is rarely found in cattle, so that the idea of its 

 direct transmission is quite out of question. However, the want 

 of an explanation does not invalidate fact. 



(.'Imote. 

 Before concluding I should like to make some remarks on 

 the influence of the climate on the cancer mortality. The totals 

 of the different Australian Colonies furnish abundant evidence 

 of two facts — 



(1) People, especially females, are affected at an earlier 

 age in hot climates by malignant tumours ; 



(2) The number of cases of cancer in hot climates is con- 

 siderably smaller than in colder latitudes. Victoria and Tasmania 

 have a mortality of 50 per 100,000 living ; New Zealand comes 

 next with 38 ; then South Australia with 35 ; while New South 

 Wales has 32. Queensland is at the bottom of the list with 

 only half the mortality of Tasmania and Victoria, namely 26 ; 

 nor has the increase in the mortality rate been as rapid in late 

 years in Queensland as in Victoria. 



