Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-14
MUST OBEY THE LAW.
Doctors and Preachers Who Fail 10
Report Marriages and Births
ABOUT TO BE BROUGHT TO TIME
The Board Of Health Determined to Secure
Better Statistics.
ONE.THIRD THE BIRTHS NOT REPORTED

Ministers, doctors and midwives all over
the city are threatened with suits for not re-
porting marriages and births to the Bureau
of Health. An act of 1870 imposes fine
of $40 for each offense for not making such
reports. The law has never been fully lived
up to, the various health inspectors having
to visit the most of these persons and com
pei them to make returns. Chief Clerk
Wilbur f. McKelvy has decided to do this
no longer. but to bring suits wherever the
reports are not forthcoming.
The Aldermen are the only people who
live up to the law, and the midwives rank
next, with physicians and ministers at the
bottom of the list. With doctors it is due
to neglect. Ministers fail mostly from ig-
norance of the law, and the most trouble is
experienced with Methodist preachers, say
the authorities.
None of the city records, said Chief
Clerk McKelvy yesterday, ''are more de-
fcieut than those of marriages and births.
The fine for not reporting them is $40 for
each ofense, and l am going to see that the
law is enforced.
81 believe that nearly one-third of the
births were not reported last year, and
there is no way of telling about the mar
riages. The Ignorance of preachers is
largely to blame for this. although we send
them notices at the beginning O: each quar-
ter, to which many Of them pay but little
attention. Then they change their resi-
dences, and we lose track of them, while
they do not make any attempt to find us.
This is particularly true with the Method
lists, who change charges so often.
"a number of the ministers and all the
physicians and midwives know the law. but
many do not comply with it. We send out
notices on the 1st of April and another in
ten days, if no return is made. After that
I have been sending out the inspectors to
bring in the reports personally. but I will
not do it any more. If the reports are not
all in by the latter end of April for this
present quarter will simply bring suits.
Why, one doctor refused to give an inspector
a report. He said he did not have to do it
unless he was paid, but we soon showed him
his mistake. Midwives, as a rule, make
their reports, but most of them are so densely
ignorant that their returns are inaccurate,
very often they do not report all the births.
One Necessity for Complete Records.
''That has been proven number of times
recently, since all the soldiers widows are
being pensioned, and they come here to get
record of the births in their family to send
Oh to Washington. No record is to be
found, but when the midwife is hunted up
the records were found. She had simply
not turned them in with her reports.
"Midwiyes should be abolished, anyway.
During the last year there were 1856 deaths
from childbirth, nearly all OF whom could
have been saved with proper attention, and
four of them were under the charge OF
mldwiVes. Of course they are employed by
people who do not feel able to employ a
doctor, but it is poor kind of economy.
AS for the Aldermen, we never have any
trouble with them; but the doctors and
preachers must be made to obey the law. 1
have consulted with Chief Brown on the
matter, and his advice is to 60 in and prose-
cute. We have complete list of all the
doctors and midwives, but the list of minis
ters is not perfect. The inspectors. however,
are making a canvass of each of their dis
tricts. and we expect to have the list full.
Notices will be sent to all, and if they are
not obeyed we will call in the law. Last
month fully intended to prosecute Is doc
tors, but then decided to wait and make q
clean sweep in April"