National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-11-21
HEALTH BOARD MEETING.
REPORT OF THE REGISFRfR ON
VITAL STATISTICS.

their rooms last evening; Or. C. Z. Cox, presi-
| dent, in the chair.
| AIR. Marbury, from the finance committee, re-
ported bills amounting TO tll2.97, which were aP
/ proved and ordered to be paid.
Prof. Langston, from the committee on ordE
nanoes, reported that the board had no power to
inhict zines on plumbers for improper work done
| in houses which could be recovered in the courts
! OF the District, and recommended statutory
| enactment to cover the case. The report was
adopted.
Prof LangstOn, from the same committee, re-
| ported fayorably on the claims Of VIM. Bowen for
pay for filing lots, and recommended that they be
| referred to the Commits siOners for settlement,
| Adopted.
David Hayes and Hiram H. King applied for
/ positions under the board. Referred.
DR.. D. W. Bliss, registrar, submitted his
| REPORT UPON THE VITAL STATISTICS
Of the District OF Columbia, for the twelve ncnths
| registered births and deaths for the ten months
ending July 81, and the registered marriages and
births, and tho total mortality for the months OF
! August and September, together with the me-
neurological observations for the same period. Ths
] registrar states that the same difficulties and
irregularities presented in his previous report for
| lsT2-T3, resulting from defective laws governing
the subject Of vital statistics in this District,
| which were the causes Of the imperfect and IN
| satisfactory statistical exhibit then made, re-
! main in the present report covering the ten
! months ending July 81. 1t is, however, graft
1
| from this statistical chaos has passed, and that
! they have now entered upon one Of the most i'm
pOrtant epoehs in the history Of this District, ex
! ercisinR q direct and immediate influence upon
the vital sanitary interests of the people, by en-
| forcing the recent act Of Congress directing the
| Board of Health to make and enforce regulations
to secure full and correct record of vital stats
tics, Including the registration Of deaths and the
interment Of the dead in said District.
| In order TO perfect the system and take adVan-
| taEe of the experience and knowledge OF regis
trRrs Of vital statistics in other cities, the regis
trar visited several Of these localities, and had
| full conference with the officers charged with
that duty examining carefully the detail Of their
| system OF blanks and records, and upon the in
formation thus gained and study 1.-THE subject in
| all it's bearings under the law Of Congress, the
| present system has been arranged with view to
| simplicity and the avoidance of all labor and
trouble no. absolutely necessary to perfect re-
| cord on the part Of those upon whom It imposes
duties. In addition to the local registration Of
births and deaths, and in order that reliable
comparisons may be made, and that periodical
reports Of vital statistics may be exchanged with
| them, correspondence has been opened with the
registrars of the principal cities Of the United
States and Europe, and a register has been pro-
yided in the office in which such record will be
made as will show at a glance this valuable COM
paTatiye statement.
| THE PRACTICAL RESULTS
\ Of the enforcement Of these regulations is to
place under immediate observation the number
| Of deaths occurring in the District, the causes
and locallty OF each, enaDhng the BOARD 70 arrest
contagious or infectious diseases, and promptly
! abate existing causes Of preventsble malades, TO
secure perfect registration Of marriages, births
| and deaths for testamentary cTedence, and to
bring all cases OF death under immediate official
| observation for the prevention and detection OF
| crime. The regulations have been in force since
| July 81 and for the months Of August and Sep
TENDER the registrar is able to present the total
! believed very nearly the entire marriages and
births for the same period. The regulations as a
| whole are models OF brevity and perfection and
| their practical operation thus far demonstrates
| the com prehensiYe care given to this subject by
the Board Of Health in securing that perfection
in detail which is so essential to the success of
this branch Of the public service. The only reg
ulations Of the board to which objection has been
made by persons upon whom they impose special
| obligations are, hrst,
RETURN OF BIRTHS,
| recurring physicians when in attendance to re-
port the full name of the father aud mother. date
/ OF BIRTH locality, giving street and number, &C.
| This requirement was considered by many Of the
medical gentlemen OF the District as unjust, in
that 1t might, under certain circumstances, make
their professional and confidential relations to
patients the subject Of official record and inquiry.
| After full and satisfactory conference OF the
| board with a committee from the Medical AssO-
citation Of the District, ii was decided by the
| board that the reports Of births should be con-
sidered as complying with the regulations, where
the fact Of a birth is given, with the date sex,
color and such additional data as the physician
| might be able TO give, without violating profess
sionaI confidence, and that the statement should
he borne upon the face Of the report that the at
tending physician is unable to make record Of any
lations to the parties concerned.
| The construction Of the regulation proves en-
ipentIy satisfactory, as It relieves the physician
tons, and furnishes the board more complete re-
turns OF births than would otherwise be obtained.
The one remaining regulation to which objection
| has been advanced is that which requires every
| clergyman solemniZing marriages to make re-
turn Of the same, giving fall name and signatures
Of both contracting parties, whether previously
married, residence, sc. The practical execution
Of this regulation, that the necessary data may
be secured, imposes enerous duties upon the
clergy, which properly belong to the authorities
GRANTING THE MARRIAGE LICENSE
and after n conference between the Board of
Health, a committee Of the clergy and the chief
clerk Of the Supreme Court Of the District Of Co
lumbia, il was ascertained that existing laws gov
erning the matters OF marriage license would en-
| tirely prevent the successful execution Of any
modification Of the regulation unless additional
legislation from Congress be first secured, which
is urged as a means Of removing the only remain
ing obstacle to the accomplishment of the de-
sign Of the laws in securing full and correct
record Of vital statistics in the District Of Colum
| bia.
He was glad to be able to state that the regula-
lions Of the board covering tie subject OF births
| and deaths we're successfully inaugurated with
| prOmptness, without eucOuntering any formidable
| difficulties. Medical gentlemen Of the District
| have manifested their high appreciation Of the
importance and value Of these regulations, as ap-
| piled TO the vital and sanitary interests Of the
| people, by promptly calling at the office Of the
| board and making register Of their names, resi-
| dence and the authority by which they were
| commissioned 70 practice the healing art. This
regulation efectually prevents the recording Of
forged certificates of death. which has heretofore
! been not an unfrequent occurrence, and the re-
ceipt and record of certificates made by incompe-
| tent, irresponsible criminally designing per-
sons. That portion Of the regulations requiring
HIDwIvEs, UNDERTAKINGS AND SECTIONS
to make register Of their Names residence, place
and character OF business in a book provided for
| that purpose enables the registrar to have such
supervision of this service as to avoid the neglect
/ and irregularities which would inevitably pre-
vent the full and correct record required by law
| The system instituted by this office Of promptly
| refeTTing to the health officer all deaths from
fatal lymatic diseases such as ups:sri%, typhoid
fever, diarrhOeal disease, &C.. that he may inves-
tigate and If there be any local cause secure It's
| abatement, under the ordinances and regulations
Of the Board of Health, have already resulted In
great benefit to the people by arrestng such dis
| cases and preventing eptdemies that with less
Watchruness and promPtness might cause grea:
| mortality.
BIRTHS.
! The total number OF births registered for the
year ending September %, 1874, OF which lSO
| were still births, and e we're twins; waite, 9s4
or $50 per 100; Of the white population coored,,
$50, or l474 per 1000 OF the c0lored population.
the regulations Of the board are inlthIs table ex
emplihed in a marked degree. While the total
number Of registered births for the twelve
months was I,574; sos were registered during the
months Of August and September, the entire ten
months ending July 81, under the old regime z r
nishing only sel.
! DEATHS.
| The total number OF deaths registered for The
year 63T L. IS per 1000 of the entire pOpula
| tiOn Of the District; Of which Chs were from
zygomatie diseases, 2S.T5 per cent. Of the total
mortality, or ass per 1000. This syhipit fully sus
tains and iustihes The opinion already eXuressC
| in this report that the exceedingly low rate D
mOrtrlity from ZygomRtlc diseases Is largeydue Il
the persistent and systematic labOrs Of the boart
| in promptly abating the minor as well as tht
| more serious nutsances (which are the fruitful
source OF all diseases Of this class Under the
classification Of Zygomatic diseases appears tn
subdivision 'diarTh0a disease" which includes
every disease that attacks the bowels and kill
by fux, If not caused by supreme organic dis
ease. The total deaths from this class is 363
1883 per cent. Of the total mortality for tn
year, or 242 per 1000 Of the entire population.
The most prominent cause Of death in this Dis
trict in the past year has been phthiss pull
monates, the total number being 49, or 1888 pc
cent OF the total mortality for the year, or D
per 1000 Of the entire population; 252 were whit
and ls4 eolOred; 50 were children under years 0
| age; "a white and IS colored. The rate Of nor
| tally from this cause among the white popula
| ton (l1O,OO0l was 22S per ZOO, while the rat
among the colored people from the same caus
! was 452 per 1000, more than double that Of tn
| Whites-R fact which can only be explained b.
| the different conditions and modes OF life prevail
| ing among the classes. Although the percent
| age Of deaths from this cause in the District
below that Of any other Of the principal citie
| in the United States or any locality in the East