Excerpt published in NZMJ 1913 Dec;12(48):599– and written by P. Clennell Fenwick, M.D., N.Z.; M.B. , Lond.; F.R.C.S.E., ChristchurchThe steady increase in the mortality from cancer in this country is a matter of grave concern to all, and I think that this Congress might profitably devote a portion of its time to a serious discussion of this important problem. It is only by collaboration among ourselves that we can make any advance in our knowledge of disease, and I would like to see a united effort made by the practitioners in New Zealand to collect and investigate every case of cancer that occurs in both private and hospital practice.I would tentatively suggest that this Association should appoint an Investigation Committee in connection with our Journal, and that every practitioner should be urged to send a careful report of every case of cancer that comes under his care. The report should have special reference to the family and personal history of the patient, his diet, habits, residence and occupation, the exact location of the, disease, and the past history of any injury should be specially noted.I venture to believe that if such reports had been made on each of the 809 cases that died in 1911 we should have found some points common to the majority or the cases, and at least have made a start in a serious search for the cause of this dreadful malady.The Registrar-General has kindly supplied me with some statistics, from which I have extracted certain points for consideration. Table 1 is given as a proof that the cancer mortality is steadily increasing. In 1902, with a population of 797,000, the total percentage of deaths due to cancer was 6.40. In 1911 our population had reached over a million, and the percentage had risen to 8.49.Cancer.—Decennial Table.Table showing, for each or the ten years, 1902 to 1911, the number of persons registered as having died from cancer, the proportion or deaths from cancer per 10,000 living, and the percentage of all deaths attributed to cancer:—

Excerpt published in NZMJ 1913 Dec;12(48):599– and written by P. Clennell Fenwick, M.D., N.Z.; M.B. , Lond.; F.R.C.S.E., ChristchurchThe steady increase in the mortality from cancer in this country is a matter of grave concern to all, and I think that this Congress might profitably devote a portion of its time to a serious discussion of this important problem. It is only by collaboration among ourselves that we can make any advance in our knowledge of disease, and I would like to see a united effort made by the practitioners in New Zealand to collect and investigate every case of cancer that occurs in both private and hospital practice.I would tentatively suggest that this Association should appoint an Investigation Committee in connection with our Journal, and that every practitioner should be urged to send a careful report of every case of cancer that comes under his care. The report should have special reference to the family and personal history of the patient, his diet, habits, residence and occupation, the exact location of the, disease, and the past history of any injury should be specially noted.I venture to believe that if such reports had been made on each of the 809 cases that died in 1911 we should have found some points common to the majority or the cases, and at least have made a start in a serious search for the cause of this dreadful malady.The Registrar-General has kindly supplied me with some statistics, from which I have extracted certain points for consideration. Table 1 is given as a proof that the cancer mortality is steadily increasing. In 1902, with a population of 797,000, the total percentage of deaths due to cancer was 6.40. In 1911 our population had reached over a million, and the percentage had risen to 8.49.Cancer.—Decennial Table.Table showing, for each or the ten years, 1902 to 1911, the number of persons registered as having died from cancer, the proportion or deaths from cancer per 10,000 living, and the percentage of all deaths attributed to cancer:—