The relation of cancer to life assurance : a paper read at the Life Assurance Medical Officers' Association, May 5th, 1897, with a discussion / by Joseph Frank Payne.
- Joseph Frank Payne
- Date:
- [1897]
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The relation of cancer to life assurance : a paper read at the Life Assurance Medical Officers' Association, May 5th, 1897, with a discussion / by Joseph Frank Payne. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![deaths, as against 112,877 from Phthisis. At higher ages the proportion of Cancer would be still greater. Since the majority of deaths of insured persons occur at the higher age, the mortality from Cancer in such persons might be expected to be much larger than from Phthisis. On the other hand the early deaths from Phthisis involve a much more serious loss to the office than the late deaths from Cancer. It is not easy to compare the risks implied by these considerations so as to decide which disease is the more dangerous. We can only conclude that both are of great importance. But we find that Cancer has received much less consideration as a factor in the mortality of insured persons than Phthisis. There is, too, a general impression that Cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent, at least in this country; and there is no doubt that there is a rapid and continuous increase in the proportion of deaths registered as due to this disease, as shown in the Annual Reports of the Registrar-General. On the other hand, it has been said that this increase is apparent rather than real; and that the in¬ crease in registered deaths from this cause is due to greater accuracy in diagnosis; cases being now recognised as Cancer which were] formerly assigned to other causes or left undetermined. The arguments in favour of this view have been very ably; stated by Mr. King and Dr. Newsliolme in a paper in “ The Pro-j ceedings of the Royal Society” (Vol. LIV., p. 209—1893). Their arguments I cannot pretend to discuss fully on the present occasion; but I must briefly refer to them. The most important argument is, that the increase in registered deaths from Cancer has taken place chiefly or almost entirely iij cases where the decrease is referred to less easily detected or mor<| inaccessible situations. This conclusion is supported by the stf tistics of mortality in the city of Frankfort-on-Main, where th seat of Cancer in fatal cases is carefully recorded; and also by th undoubted fact that Cancer is registered as increasing much morjj rapidly in males than in females. It is assumed that Cancer in females (which occurs predom j nantly in the easily recognised forms of mammary and uterin.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30594200_0004.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
