South African Medical Journal - Volume 26, Issue 47, November 1952

The relative incidence of malignant diseases referred for radiotherapy over a 3-year period has been analysed with respect to the racial and anatomical distribution of tumours. In particular, 578 cases of skin cancer have been classified according to race, sex, age, pathology. stage, treatment and anatomical and geographical distribution. This analysis supports the hypothesis that skin cancer in whiteskinned persons is caused by long-continued insolation, while in the pigmented African it is relatively uncommon and often precipitated by local injury or chronic inflammation.