H.—3l.

_We know not the cause of cancer. It is increasing in prevalence at a slow, not rapid, rate. Being a disease of late life, and having in the past often missed detection or registration, its apparent increase is in considerable measure accounted for by our longer span of life and greater skill in diagnosis. The real increase is slight, and can be checked, if advice and treatment be sought early in the disease. Recent results show that the proportion of actual cures from the treatment of early cancer is very high indeed. It has always been an important cause of death, but results show that nowadays submission to skilled treatment at an early stage is worth while. Particularly after the age of thirty-five we should seek medical examination for' any unusual condition which might be cancer. Chest-diseases, 1,002. Pneumonia .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 429 Pneumonia secondary to influenza, whooping-cough, and measles .. 87 Broncho-pneumonia . . .. . . .. . . .. 218 Bronchitis . . .. .. .. .. . . . . 268 1,002 There is reason to believe that many of these deaths could be prevented. In some countries the experiment has been tried of making every pneumonia case compulsorily notifiable, and attempting isolation. Apparently the results achieved have not justified the expense and trouble thereby involved, but the fact remains that probably a large proportion of these illnesses are infectious. All associated with epidemics of influenza, measles, whooping-cough, or diphtheria certainly are. Again, when in the absence of a. recognized outbreak of such common infectious diseases, groups of pneumonia or broncho-pneumonia cases occur, in a community, affecting in considerable measures virile young adults, adolescents, and children, of which it can be said the infecting agent is virulent, then measures can be taken which give promise of considerably reducing the death-rate from these lung-ailments. Such measures are complete case-isolation to be practised by doctor and nurse, and convalescents to be restrained from close contact with other persons, attendance at indoor public gatherings, &c, until they have completely recovered. Violence, 977. Regarding the 977 deaths last year from violence, of which 773 were due to accident, 193 to suicide, and 11 to homicide, it is noteworthy that in the last eight years, whereas the death-rates from suicide and homicide have _ shown little variation, that from accident, especially motor-vehicles accident, has increased considerably. In the last five years the number of deaths annually from motor-vehicle accidents have averaged 172. S Tuberculosis (all Poems), 649. The following table indicates the course of this disease since 1926 :—

New Zealand has the lowest death-rate from tuberculosis in the world. In common with many other countries, including Great Britain, it has steadily reduced in the last half-century. This year's rate is remarkably low. Tuberculosis, however, still takes fifth place as a cause of death in New Zealand, and disables temporarily or permanently many more than it kills. Of 649 deaths from tuberculosis last year, 529 were assigned to pulmonary tuberculosis, and 120 to other forms of this disease, comprising tuberculosis meningitis and peritonitis, and tuberculosis of the bones, joints, glands, &c. Pulmonary Tuberculosis. The pulmonary cases are regarded by most authorities as conveyed from human sources. There were 1,244 notifications of fresh cases during the year. Other Forms of Tuberculosis. The 120 deaths last year from other forms of tuberculosis were made up as follow :— Tuberculosis of meninges and central nervous system . . . . .. 54 Tuberculosis of intestines and peritoneum .. .. . . . . 16 Tuberculosis of vertebral column. . .. .. .. .. ..11 Tuberculosis of bones and joints .. .. . . . . . . 3 Tuberculosis of skin a,nd subcutaneous cellular tissue .. .. .. 1 Tuberculosis of the lymphatic system . .'•, .. .. . . , . 1 Tuberculosis of genito-urinary system . . .. .. . . 8 Tuberculosis of other organs . . . . . . .. . , 2 Disseminated tuberculosis . . .. . . .. .. 24 120 A small proportion only of these latter deaths, particularly those of children, are deemed by recognized _ authorities to be possibly due to infection from the cow, and bacteriological tests of milksupplies in New Zealand have shown the milk-supply to be remarkably free from bovine tubercle.

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Number of Deaths Death-rate from Tuber- I Number of Deaths Death-rate from TuberYear - „, ' rom culosis per 10,000 of Year. from culosis per 10,000 of 1 uberculosis. Mean Population. Tuberculosis. Mean Population. :—! I 1926 .. 727 5-37 1929 .. 642 4-56 1927 .. 668 4-86 1930 .. 649 4-55 1928 .. 699 5-02