The local incidence of cancer in France in relation to fuel / by C.E. Green.

  • Q133635875
Date:
[1915?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The local incidence of cancer in France in relation to fuel / by C.E. Green. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/22 (page 11)
    Interesting as the town death-rate is, the country death-rate is even more striking. The extent to which wood is burned in the country districts in France is surprising when one goes in detail into the matter, and Plate II. shows that in practically every department wood is largely employed. All the exceptions are to be found in the north, where it will be seen that the death-rate in the country districts almost approximates that of the town. Indeed, in certain of these districts the country death-rate shown on Plate I. is actually higher than the town. The explanation of this is, to my mind, the simple one that where coal is burned, as it often is in country districts, on hearths and in grates which were originally built to burn wood, the elimination of the products of combustion of the fuel is much less effective, and the results are correspondingly deleterious. Plate III., however, shows that where coal and wood are burned the death-rate is about the average. Where wood alone is burned the death-rate is much below the average in some cases, as in Lozere and Aveyron, less than quarter of the average. The maps speak for themselves. There may here and there appear to be slight discrepancies, but it must be remembered that it is extremely difficult to get an inquiry such as this carried out, even at the expense of great time and trouble, with absolute mathematical precision. One cannot calculate out to a decimal point the proportions of wood and coal which are used, but I have done my best to tabulate the information which has been so kindly given me, and which varies from such a general statement as “ Indistinctement le charbon et le bois, mais principalement le bois,” to the very elaborate statistics for which I am indebted to the Prefet of the department of the Seine. Taken generally, how¬ ever, I feel convinced that the maps bear out the fact that the character of the fuel used in any particular district has a profound effect upon the incidence of cancer. As I have said, cancer seems to be practically non-existent in some purely peat-burning districts in Scotland, whereas the death-rate is almost invariably high wherever coal is burned It was a great surprise to me to find it very prevalent in certain districts in Orkney where nothing but peat was burned, until I learned that this peat contained nearly one per cent, of sulphur, and was coal-like in character. The exception often proves the rule, and I venture to think that my present study of the cancer incidence of France has proved the truth of the old adage. It will be noticed in Plate 1.