The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-05
RECORD OF STATISTICS
HEALTH BOARD SECRETARY EX-
PLAINS HOW IT Is KEPT.
Errors i'm the Bulletin Prepared by
the United States Statisti-
cal Department.

The vital statistics bulletin prepared by
the United States Statistical Department
has been issued and contains many inter
esting tables. So far as Indiana is con-
cerned there are many very gross errors
pointed out by the secretary of the State
Board of Health. He says: Indiana has
the most perfect law and method for col
lecting mortality statistics of all the States.
Under our law it is almost impossible for
a dead human body to be buried without
the fact being Immediately registered, and
by the fifth of each month for the month
preceding, the original certificate of death
of each decedent for that month is on file
at the office of the State Board of Health.
These certificates are Immediately tabu-
lated and classified and by the twentieth
of the month are published in the bulletin
of the State Health Board. They are then
bound in book form and carefully kept.
The United States mortality statistics are
secured by the census enumeratorS, who
ask of the householder concerning deaths
in the household for the year. AS families
are continually shifting, and as not infre-
uuently children and servants are called
upon for answers II Is plain that great
accuracy is not secured. Our State statistics
are secured at the time of death for the
law commands that dead bodies shall not
be buried without a permit and that no
permit shall be issued except by health Of
fcers, and they shall not issue a permit
unless they have in hand a certificate and
record of death properly and fully filed out
in ink. In the event OF a burial without a
permit the persons conducting the burial
shall be fined in any sum not less than ten
nor more than one hundred dollars, and in
addition the coroner shall disinter the body,
hold an inquest, and report findings within
three days 10 the nearest health officer.
LAS the coroner gets a fee he is con-
tinually on the alert and ii is therefore
very difficult for a body to be buried with
out being duly registered. Now when we
come to compare the United States mortal
ity figures collected in rather a loose way
with those of the State Board of Health
which are rigidly collected at the time of
death. there appear differences of consider
able moment. For instance, the United
States bulletin records but 1856 total
deaths in Indiana in 1900, while We have on
file all ready for reference the original
certificates of death Of 5,45S decedents.
The United States is therefore in error TO
the extent of 1.S72 deaths. The diphtheria
deaths. for every one of which we have
a certificate on file, numbered Si3, while the
United States report gives 52S. Again, the
whooping cough deaths collected 10y the
State board numbered SD and the govern
ment figure is 201. Pneumonia caused 3.06l
deaths as the original certificates show, but
the government report is 2.919. The only
cause of death which the government has
secured with approximate accuracy is
smallpox, which is 10, the real number be-
ing 20.
1T is greatly TO be hoped that such
miserable work has not been done by the
census bureau of other States, for then the
United States mortality statistics are of
little or ! 0 value