The record-union., 1892-01-06
NEGLIGENT DOCTORS.
The Board of Health VIII Compel
Them to Make Reports.
The Law Regarding the Recording Of
Births Being Ignored-DecfS1ye
Action Taken.

The City Board of Health is out on a
still hunt TOR the scaIps of negligent doc
tors again.
The board is an aggressive body, and
believes that if laws are worth framing
and adopting they are worth enforcing.
Some time ago the board was looked
upon by many of the physicians as an
ornamental concern, and when an order
was issued calling attention to the ordi-
nance requiring all physicians to report
cases of contagious disease which came
under their notice, some of the medicos
turned up their noses and paid no atten-
ton to the edict. But suddenly one of
them was caught mapping, and soon
found himself hopelessly entangled in
the meshes of the law. He pleaded guilty
to the charge of misdemeanOr preferred
against him in the Police Court, and was
fined. After that all cases of contagious
disease We're promptly reported to Health
Officer c.. b. Nichols, and there was no
more trouble from that quarter.
Another health law provides that all
physicians must report the births that
come under their notice. This is Il State
law, and there is also city ordinance
covering it. The latter provides that
every person practicing midwifery, I'M
der whose charge or superintendence any
birth shall occur within the city of Sacra-
mento, shall fill up and deliver to the
Secretary Of the Board of Health within
twenty-Iour hours after said birth, a
blank schedule, to be furnished on appli-
cation by said Secretary, containing the
particulars Of such birth as to date, age,
sex, etc.. and in case the birth of any
child shall have occurred without the at
tendance of practitioner of midwifery,
or should no other person or nurse have
been in attendance upon the mother i'm
mediately thereafter, then it shall be the
duty of the parents of such child to report
its birth to the said Secretary, within the
manner and form above described"
The ever vigiiant Health Officer re-
Gently called the attention Of all the ply
sicians in the city to these laws, and noti-
fled them that the Board of Health eX-
pected them to obey the laws.
But as in the case of the contagious
diseases there are doctors who do not care
to trouble themselves by obeying the law,
and who, as in the former case, need a
lesson. And this lesson is what the
Board Of Health has decided to admins
ter.
There was meeting of the board last
evening, and the Health officer submit
ted his report, showing that only nine
teen births had been reported to him dur
ing the month. Only nineteen births in
Sacramento in month
The members of the board discussed
the matter for while and came to the
conclusion that not half of the births
were being reported. 1t was declared
that an incomplete record was worse than
no record at all, and the law would either
have to be obeyed to the letter or else
abandoned entirely.
The former course was decided upon,
and Health officer Nichols was instructed
to see that the law is enforced. That
official must now necessarily keep his
eye peeled" and the first case of negli-
gence he discovers will be made an ex-
ample of.