Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-03
sANITARIANs IN COUNCIL.
Papers Bead Before the American
Public Health Association.


the session Of the American Public Health
Association yesterday, which are published
elsewhere, we present herewith copies Of
several important and interesting papers
read at the session Of Wednesday and
Thursday, which We were compelled to
omit on account Of our crowded space.
The following was read on Wednesday:
REPORT OF COMMITTEE on VITAL
STATISTICS.
The following are the leading conclusions
and propositions concerning the conditions ne
cessary for securing correctness, completeness
and uniformity in r gistry and vital statistics
in the United States:
CONCLUSIONS.
I. That the accuracy and proper fullness Of
each individua record must be scored and
made trustworthy SIS basis OF correct stats
tics as well as to insu-e the various rights and
interests concerned in registration To ian 70
attain this would vitlafe the registration ana
all statistical uses Of il.
The accuracy and validity OF the indi- |
vidual registries 10 the United states viii de. |
reud chiefly upon the careful verifcation aud |
attesting Of the individual rec 3rds presented
IN the certificates signed by professional at |
tendants at birth, death and marriage; and for |
this reason as well as for others, the certif- |
Gates for registration should be made out i'm |
mediately upon the events respectively to be |
recorded, and should be Ettested by the auto |
whatever events and facts cannot be so attest |
ed by professional attendants must be verified |
and attested as completely as possible by |
means that are correct and legally sufficient. |
Herein must each State provide methods |
and requirements consistent with its laws and |
the system of administering them. The |
tween Louisiana and Georgia and Georgia and |
New ork-but uniformity of record and all |
Necessary correctness, duly atteste1 by trust |
worthy signatures, must be secured.
4 The NJ UnnnfpfnQl n tan districts /
will necessarily. for the present. determine |
the areas OF local registration OF vital statistics
as ali that pertains 10 THIS class OF puolc gu |
ties should be made public charge. The city, |
the township and the state. where there are /
townships; but the county. parish and State |
as well as city in the other parts OF our |
Union are the divisions Of the registry |
areas for the nation. The incorporated |
village has municipal methods, and is usually |
one Of the primary registration areas But q |
State may quite reasonably undertake TO can |
vass and record all the births. deaths and mar |
nages occurring in it; though better doubtless |
that each primary community, or first civil di- |
vision in q State, should DO its whole duty and |
bear all necessary costs Of the registry duties |
which local government owes 70 the cOmmuni- |
ty. upon principle analogous 70 that which |
provides for property and estate recorS S. etc. |
4. Experience shows that in order to secure |
the necessary correctness and completeness of |
each individual record for public registration, |
the community and taxed district, the house |
holder the hospital or Institution, the family |
aud the kinsfolk must be concerned in the |
making out and correcs presentation of the |
certified or attested records A city or State |
may canvass for the records st stated periods, |
and may even trust to undertakes, grave-dig-
gers and old women to give in the records to the
canvasserS, but such records would be nearly |
valueleSS. The salaries OF canvaSsers would |
De poorly earned unless they are guided and
instructed by central genius, who, ike Dr. |
Snow, in Providence, can personally detect and
correct their frequent fallacies and errors. 1t
really appears almost inevitable that, for the
present. the registration in each State will
need 70 use the lOcs. authorities as organized
and placed in the primary taxing districts, and
in order to insure trustworthy correctness and
accuracy, must also use that class of the local
authorities which is most enlightened interest
ed and legally competent to enforce the indi-
vidual recording aud the local registry. The
records of mortality must be under the direc-
ton Of sanitary authorities. il possible, yet
each State viii determine what other local Of
ficiais shall have g responsible part in the 6u-
ties peri aiming TO local registration. Constant
inspection and revision OF the local records are
necessary to correctness and completeness
At the centre Of ell and directing all the regis
Try system Of State there must be head |
Ths head should be responsible for all that
Is necessary to success ia the system. We
must be continually advising. aiding, correct |
ing and receiving. We should be umpire in |
respect OF doubtful and disputed points and
We must prescribe or at least keep up uni
s. The registry as organized and kept fire.
proof at every State capital should be the
best possible outcome Of the local registry. It
preserved Of all branches or kinds OF public
records It is at the State registry chambers
or bureau that absolute uniformity OF registra-
ton ID the thirty-eight States-fOr the nation
begins. Il is easy for ttirtyeight central regis
tering hesds 70 agree, and even the forms
adopted by one State may readily. as regards
any facts TO be entered in the public registries
be models for all thu States and for every mu-
nicipahiy and taxing district in Norta
America
s. The Intro duction of special and separate
r1riufc for rRDlaS in the urinary certificates
in q particular municipality for a limited
time, as should be the case in the |
midst OF epidemics and calamites, is duty OF
the local authorities and Will not impair the
uniformity Of public registering Uniformity
will be secured wherever the State system has
a competent head, and all The States shall have
each head and proper Laws.
:. The necessary standard nomenclature in
the records OF mortality Should be well under |
stood by the State registering heads, or bu-
reauX hould be well harmonized- The mist |
correctly employed and widely accepted noso-
logical and statistical homer clature must be
used at each State registry bureau and must be !
incuicated in each locality by physicians and |
registers; yet it is well 70 remember that the |
best OF the common names Of causes OF death |
are quite ineligible. and that this is true
Of records OF deaths made century ago, |
though nearly all the common names OF causes
OF death have been superseded since that |
period, by more scientific aud accurate ones |
National BOari Of Health are lead
ing towards a reasonable uniformity |
in nomenclature by their increasing |
knowledge Of the great variety of causes of i
death, and by reasonably augmenting the cata- |
lOgue OF correctly Disseminated diseases. In /
this respect we have the means Of increasing /
accuracy in registration Of causes OF death. |
Any educated medical man who is competent TO |
be municipal or state registrar or superin- |
tendent OF registration of vital statistics will /
so enter the causes OF death upon the pages Of /
the public registers that the names of the |
causes = i'll be correctly interpreted IN all |
coming time. The fact. the date, the causes, |
or certainly the mode OF desth, must be cor
rectly given II Is OF great importance 70 the /
public welfare as regards the most important |
facts and disclosures Of sanitary knowledge |
and conservative medicine. that the public |
registry as well as the professional certifying |
of the causes Of death she uld be sought at the |
most competent hands. Public registration is |
q service rendered for the State, and from the |
writing and atteStiDg the primary record /
TO the critical aud final registering |
OF il in the State archives, no |
sighting or fault in the elements OF the indi- |
statistics must be kept clear from obscure or |
false reading. AL that is attempted by local |
and state Authorities in this field of public |
duty should be well done. It then will be done |
cheaply enough. for We find thst the faulty and |
detection methods OF obtaining and verifying |
the primary records actually cost more per |
capita or per number than the most accurate |
and complete work would cost. were the State
10 organize its control and detailed duties so |
as 70 make good work.
! Finally: the rapid org anization Of the public
tservice of twenty-eight State Boards of Health |
the recent endeavOrs OF the National Board of
Health to develop the basis for truly national
system OF registry and vital statistics; the en-
Hghtened action Of the American Association
for the Promotion OF Science, and Of
the Meteorological Society, and OF the
growing interest Of publicists AMI Of all
sanitarians and efficient Boards Of Health
and greatly enlarged intelligence OF our people
in regard TO the public duty OF correctly re-
cording the essential facts OF the three great
epochs OF life, low warrant the action now pro-
posed.
This subject is worthy Of all the attention it is
receiving. and we may perhaps best express to
the association the convictions of its Commit
tee on Vital Statistics by uniting the opinion OF
DR.. William Law, Of England. who recently
wrote TO a friend in the United States:
Il speak from long experience when say
and feel that your sanitary and social progress
very much depends upon registration gen.
ersl and uniform as your census. By
obtaining an accurate record OF births, mar
riages and Of dea hs- v it'll the causes-yOu
viii confer the greatest benefit on your coun-
try"
In addition TO this general report, your COM
mittee has the honor TO report as follows upon
papers and subjects referred to IL by the aSSo-
citation as bearing on vital statistics:
We have the honor to present to you, for any
attention the subiect at present demands of
the association q brief return. with comments
and sugges ions upon enc Of the papers which
has been referred officially to this committee,
namely, a communication from L. b. Elliott,
=