On the alleged Increase of Cancer. 213 



courtesy of the manager, Mr. A. H. Turnbull, these statistics have 

 been placed at our disposal, and he has also kindly given us the 

 figures for the four years 1888-91, which have elapsed since the last 

 septennial valuation, thus enabling us to bring the investigation 

 approximately up to date. 



So far as we know, the British Empire Mutual is the only other 

 office which has abstracted its experience in such a form as- in the 

 present connexion could be of any service. The experience of that 

 Society, distinguishing diseases, was published for the two periods 

 1847-72 and 1872-78, and the following figures are extracted from 

 the reports : 



Table C. Experience of the British Empire Mutual Life Office. 



Unfortunately these facts are so scanty as not to afford trustworthy 

 averages, and we have not seen our way to make further use of them. 

 They show an apparent increase of about 50 per cent, in the death- 

 rate from cancer in the period 1873-78 over 1847-72 ; but it must 

 be remembered that, the office having been founded only in 1847, 

 the lives assured had, in the earlier of the two periods, on the 

 average much more recently passed the medical examination than in 

 the later period. Cancer being a disease of comparatively slow 

 development, this is a disturbing factor the effects of which it is 

 impossible to measure. A life office must have been established for 

 many years, and must for a long period have been transacting a 

 business approximately uniform, before it is safe to base any conclu- 

 sions upon its experience of such a disease as cancer. 



The Scottish Amicable Life Assurance Society and the Clergy 

 Mutual Life Office have each published their experience, giving the 

 deaths from cancer and the lives at risk according to age ; and in the 

 collective experience of thirty American offices, published in 1881, 



