The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-09-23
The Health and Mortality OF Chaslos
ton, as indicated by the Woekiy
turns OF Dea ms by tho City Registrar

turns OF Den ms by tho City Registrar.
To the Editor of The Neaos:
Attention has been particularly attracted 10
this subject, recently, by the remarkable dis
parity in the relative mortality among the two
distinct classes of our population, as indicated
by the published bills of mortality for one or
two weeks past.
Comments, free and full, have been made
upou every circumstance In thus connsctlon,
and the probable extinct 2n OF the one race, or
the possible incorrectness OF the returns, ana M
opinion, will scarcely reach the. extremes OF
the opposite views entertained by those va
rioasly interested. 10. d. ID -
AS very few of our citizens have been at any
great pains to investigate this subject, 1T may
prove interesting to the community at large,
as well as those more directly concerned, to be
furnished with The following information:
The ordinance regulating this matter pro-
yides that when any person dies within the
city limits, the physician in attendance snan
furnish certificate Of death, according to pre-
scribed form, to the nearest relative OF or party
concerned in the deceased, which certificate is
10 be delivered to the sexton OF the cemetery ~
which the btdy is inferred, ano tne seAeon .t 10
required to hand in said certificate at the City
Registrars Office within twenty-four hours a1-
ter the interment of the body; nor does the or
dinance allow any in.erments to be mAde Dy
sections without their first having received the
proper certificate; the ply sician is also requir-
ed to furnish the necessary certlhcate 70 tne
proper parties, AID, for failure 10 comply ID
either case, there is Q penalty prescribed:
On Tuesday Of each week return OF deaths
during the preceding week Is made up nom
the certificates handed in to the City Registrar.
thus allowing sufficient time for the receipt OF
all the certificates for the week ending on the
Saturday previous. -
The returns published only Include sucn
deaths as are represented by the certificates
handed in up to the time the returns are made;
and whenever, from neglect or other cause,
certifcat d. are afterwards received, they are
simply registered, and such deaths are not re-
ported in the return Of The succeeding week,
but are published in the quarterly and annual
reports made to the City Council.
Weekly bills Of mortality have not been pup
iished since 1859 (when the ordinance REQUIRING
their publication was repealed), until the sum,
mer OF 1867, when they were again publlsheu
by military order; and although the authority
ceased upon the withdrawal Of the military, it
was considered best to continue their publca-
ton during the summer season Tor obvious
reasons. No. " -.
The remains OF MANY persons who die in the
city are carried to cemeteries elsewhere, and
in such. cases there sis no degree OF certainty
that the certificates will be sent to the City
Registrar, although it has generally been done;
and it might b6 well to state IN this connec.
ton, thit the sections OF cemeteries outside OF
the city limits are notrequired; to hand In re-
turns OF their interment', but they have gen.
orally been regular and prompt IN 80 dong.
It is sometimes necessary in consolidating
the returns to report under one head several
deaths from the same disease, which may nave
been. entered upon. the certificates IN the one
case under technical term,' and In another
-undarthe En-; ;lish, pr perhaps, vulgar name;
ways preserved IN recording the same, for the
attending physician. surgeon or Coroner, ouly,
being competent to certify as TO; the cause OF
death, the City Registrar has no authority to
interfere by substituting the name OF any other
disease for that given in the certificate OF
death. -" : ct-t1cs-H
!. Occasionally, when there appears to be o
special design on the part Of the attending
IhJsician in the selection OF q technical name
tive or the fact that there may be published In
the eranne return what might appearto be the
same disease under q different name, and In
few instances deaths have been published un-
der what has been construed to be the name OF
different disease from that named IN the Ger
tiicate:- This has never been the AIM while
the change made was considered necessary and
proper, for the sake of perspicuity to the pub,
lie in general, who would be better informed
and more interested in these returns could
familiar names be always employed. 90
It is also sometimes q matter OF conNdera-
bic difficulty to determine whether the certif-
cate is Of the death OF white person or not,
as most generally this fact is omitted.
The health of the city, Us regards it's intiu-
enoe upon the mortuary returns, has been 81
favorable through this summer, that there
could not have been found any cause for deslr-
ing to deceive this or any other community
upon any point connected Herewith: IL
The following table exhibits the recapitula-
tions Of the published returns since the first OF
July, 1868, and the deaths registered during
each corresponding week: