Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-28

worthy and excellent health officer, reports
more deaths than births. and that such reports
are detrimental to the business interest of the
city.
THE EXPLANATION.
This cause of complaint is explained by the
fact that the means used for obtaining a cor
rect report of the number of deaths. are much
more expeditions than those depended upon for
full report OF the number of births. The law
makes it the duty of the undertaken to return
certificate before he can get a permit to bury
the dead This the undertaken finds no diff
Guilty in obtaining. for it requires but slight
consumption of the physicians time to sign a
certificate of death when it is presented to him
at MS Oiflce; out IN the of birth it is entirely
different. Here the law requires physician to
make out a certificate of the birth of every in
FAINT within his professional knowledge and to
q,nt his business. at his own expense and loss
To furnish such information to the health officer
IL Is a usage that has assumed the force of a law
that government shall not require q citizen to
quit his business to do public service for such
government without due compensation for such
service; but here is a legislative enactment that
requires the physician to make out certificate
OF birth. and TO stop his business to carry such
certificates to the health officer. at his own ex-
perse and without due compensation. The
same legislative body could have as we'll en-
acted law requiring the merchant to report
the pounds OF SUGAR. or the yards of calico
which he sells. or the editor to report the num-
Der and character OF the advertisements which
he prints. or the editorials which he writes as
10 require the physician to report part of his
offices and duties Physicians are neither ex-
acting nor mercenary in giving their services to
the public: but they do dislike to be ANNOYED
by law that requires them to turn aside from
their business to inform the health officer that
IA male or female infant. cOlOred or uncOlOred
was born last night that the full name of the
oStensibie father: is Peter Jones Smith, and the
full name of the positive mother is Sarah Eliza
beth Smith, whose maiden name was Sarah
Elizabeth Jones, and that the place of nativity
of the father, mother, and baby. is Swamp
poodle" This can be justly claimed to be a
business transaction for public purposes: and it
can be further claimed. that a legislature has no
more right to exact this much tree service from
the physician than it has To require the mer-
chant. without compensation to report daily or
weekly, the number of bushels of wheat he
has bought. and also the full name
OF the man and wife, and their
nativity. from whom he bought them.
II is argued that the act requiring the physician
to report cases of childbirth is important. not
only to a knowledge OF the increase of the pOptl-
latiOn. but useful to courts in deciding cases of
law; but with this physicians have nothing to
do. and should not. by compulsory service be
forced to furnish information that may or may
not. at some future time. be useful to the public
TO court aud again. when legislative
body desires TO know the Increase of the popu-
lation which it represents. it usually appoints
an officer whose duty it is made to collect all
necessary information i'll reference to the i'll
crease of population.
THE REMEDY.
All good and wise laws possess three most es-
sential requisites, viz: justice in OriginatiOn APP
propriateness of application and ease in execu-
ton: and all difficulty or impeachment in the way
of collecting correct vital statistics can be at once
obviated by makiDgit the duty of some one of the
various clerks Of the health office to call once OF
twice month on each physician and inquire the
number of child-birtbs which he has attended
during the time. and the information will be ac-
curately and willingly impaired; and if the vital
statistics Of the District of Columbia are more
than a matter of curiosity. and Of importance ia
the people of the United States then Congress,
by an act. should provide the most agreeable
and expeditions means for making such Stats
ties complete and correct.
j. b. JOHNSON. Md.
922 New York avenue.