The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-07-28
OFFICE TENNESSEE STATE BOARD oy HEALTH,
NASHVILLE, Tenn,
June - 1851

D. S. HeJ6, r. d., Cranesrige Tenn:
My DEAR SIR: Your letter came to
hand this morning, in which you ask
some questions relative to the new
law OH vital satisfies. You ask eff
it is possible that the Legislature has
demanded another drain on the physi-
clans" inasmuch as, according to DIR.
Bowling, "the doctors have to give
about three fourths of their time to
the cause of humanity" In answer
to that question 1 have to say, it was
not the Legislature which imposed the
duty Of reporting vital statistics, but
the doctors themselves. It is true the
Legislature. at the urgent solicitation
of the Medical Society of Tennessee,
backed by the influence of very nearly
all the physicians of the city, enacted
the law. But they did it after the
most persistent lobbying OH the part
of the doctors. So you see it is n self
imposed duty, and not only are the
physicians Of the State required to re-
port without remuneration, but all
concerned. except the County Court
clerks, do the same. The position Of
superintendent of Vital Statistics" is
placed ON the secretary of the State
Board of Health, and the duties are
arduous and continuous, but for the
services, worth at least seventy five
dollars per month, he receives not one
cent. You ask where the pay comes.
In doing the work placed on me, and
the physicians in doing the work i'm
posed on them, contribute to the great
fund of knowledge. 1t requires, say
fifteen or twenty minutes of your time
each month, to write out your report
and mail it to clerk. The vast amount
of useful information collected by this
method is invaluable to the doctor,
lawyer, scientific man, statesman, hui
manitarian, and political economist
BY aid of this knowledge every doctor
in the State is enabled to see where
deaths most abound. He sees the
causes of death, whether it originates
from local causes or otherwise, and lie
can, by means Of this information. de-
wise methods of prevention The EN-
igrant can tell where the healthicst
locations are; if he wants to settle in a
point of good health he can find it.
The lawyer can ascertain the geneal
ogy of each family, and tell whether
the heir of a property is dead or alive
The political economist will see the
relative proportions between birth:
and deaths, and know the precise sta
tus of the population between the de
cennial census, and the causes which
detract from or increase the popula
ton. They will see the differences il
the vitality of the various races, the
time of death of the various foreigner
and negroes, and the location of al
epidemics, together with their fatality
He can tell whether the patients di'
of natural causes, or from ignoran
: practitioners. He can find out tn,
5 causeslof all diseases, and, the Gauss
: known, it will be an easy matter to dc
wise Il remedy. 1t has been proves
e. that the incOnsiderable disease, whoop
9 ing cough, causes more deaths thai
t the terrible smallpox, because tn
(, treatment Of the former Is generlll
left to the nurses, or some old woman
/ while the latter is met with the mos
S active and efficient treatment So vo
h observe, my dear doctor, that thong
f doctors know n great many thing;
there are still some things to be learne,
If treatment is ever to be discovere
q for consumption, it will be by mean
= of the data collected by vital statistic.
> 1t was by means of the cumulatiy
observations of numerous persons this
DIR. Jenner was enabled to see til
remedy for and apply prevention
the loathsome and fatal small pox
was by the same methods i'm Franc
that the doctors thel first ascertaine
1t that, in certain stages, cancer is +;
A. durable as intermittent fever, althoug
m hitherto it was believed to be incur;
ID bic in any stage. There is scarcely
limit to the benefits to be derived fro
IN the collections of many doctors, whic
:. being tabulated and given to Il
I'd world, serve as funds from which Y
" may all draw our deductions. It
Is progressive medicine and preventi'
C medicine Is is the labor of cor
er munity, impossible TO one, but C
1t lected from all, making a magnifice
W whole. Country doctors do not wri
s., enough anyway. They lead bus
ed active life, and though they seldo
al reduce their observations to papt
ed they see and think a great deal.
Int each doctor in the universe were
st write out all his observations ca
M observations each month, think VIII
nd a mass of information would be c