8 PRINCIPAL CAUSES OF MORTALITY IN QUEENSLAND 



that in other respects, where comparison is possible, the Frank- 

 fort statistics are confirmed by those of the United Kin<,'doin. 



"2. The apparent increa.se in cancer is confined to what we 

 have called ' inaccessible cancer.' This is shown {a) by the 

 Frankfort statistics (b) by the fact that the difference between 

 the rates for males and females respectively is approximately 

 constant, and does not progressively increase in cancer in each 

 of the sexes ; (r) because the apparent increase in cancer among 

 the well-to-do assured lives, who are presumably attended by 

 medical men of more than average skill, is not so great as 

 among the general population. (This remark is based on the 

 different experiences of the Scottish Widows' Life Assurance 

 Society and the general population of the United Kingdom.) 



" 3. The increase in cancer is only apparent and not real, 

 and is due to improvement in diagnosis, and more careful 

 certification of the causes of death. This is shown by the fact 

 that the whole of the increase has taken place in inaccessible 

 cancer difficult of diagnosis, while accessible cancer easily 

 diagnosed has remained practically stationary." 



In 1892 our own Registrar-General commenced to tabulate 



deaths from cancer un :er their various heads, and I compare 



below the figures for the years 1892 93 with those for the years 



1898/99, dividing them as Mr. King and Dr. Newsholme did 



into accessible and inaccessible cancer. (Of cases that could not 



be classified there were 19 in the earlier period and 26 in the 



later.) 



Accessible Cancer. 



56 49 22 84 



Total - 105 Total - 174 



Inaccessible Cancer. 



90 37 

 Total - 127 



