Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1889-06-06
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
CENSUS OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, d. c.,
Nav 1890

To THE EDITOR:
The publication in your valuable paper
of the accompanying letter to the medi-
cal profession will aid the Census Office
in one of its most important and difficult
investigations. If you should think the
matter of sufficient importance to notice
editOrially it will be appreciated, as it is
necessary to obtain the cooperation of
medical men in all parts of the country
to insure successful result. This is all
volunteer work on the part of the physi-
clan, and any assistance you may feel in
clined to give will materially help most
important branch of statistical inquiry.
It is equally important to the country
that the returns in relation to farm pro
ducts and live stock should be fully cor
rect The enumerator in the house to
house visit he will make during the
month of June, 1890, is constantly met
with the fact that farmers keep no books
and hence returns are not infrequently
guess work. The census year begins
June 1st next and ends May s1st, 1890.
If farmers throughout the country would
note this fact and keep account of the
products of their farms during the cen
sus year it would be of material aid in
securing reliable returns for the Elev
enth Census.
To THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONS:
The various medical associations and
and the medical profession will be glad
to learn that DR.. John S. Billings, Sur
geOn .. s. Army, has consented to take
charge of the Report on the Mortality
and Vital Statistics of the United States
as returned by the Eleventh Census
As the United States has no system of
registration of vital statistics, such as is
relied upon by other civilized nations for
the purpose of ascertaining the actual
movement OF population, our census af
fords the only opportunity of obtaining
near an approximate estimate of the
birth and death rates of much the larger
part of the country, which IS entirely un-
provided with any satisfactory system of
State and municipal registration.
In view of this, the Census Office, dur
ing the month of May this year, will is
sue to the medical profession throughout
the country Physicians Register" for
the purpose of obtaining more accurate
returns of deaths than it is possible for
the enumerators to make. 1t is earnestly
hoped that physicians in every part Of
the country will co operate with the Gen.
sus Office in this important work. The
record should De kept from June l, 1859,
to Nay 81. 1890. Nearly $4,000 of these
books were filed up and returned to the
Office in 1880, and nearly all of them used
for statistical purposes. 1t is hoped that
double this number will be obtained for
the Eleventh Census.
Physicians not receiving Registers can
obtain them by sending their names and
addresses to the Census Office, and, with
the Register, an official envelope which
requires no stamp will be provided for
their return to Washington.
If all medical and surgical practition
ers throughout the country will lend
| their aid. the mortality and vital statistics
of the Eleventh Census will be more
comprehensive and complete than they
have ever been. Every physician should
take personal pride in having this re-
port as full and accurate as it is possible
to make it.
1t is hereby promised that all informa-
ton obtained through this source shall
be held strictly confidential
ROBERT p. PORTER,
Superintendent of Census.