Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-10
THE PUBLIC HEALTH
Second Day of School of Instruc-
tion for Health Officers.
Vital Statistics, Health Laws, Quaran-
tine, School House Sanitation and
Duties Of Health Officers the
Subjects Considered.

| Tuesday morning the physicians and
health officers In attendance at the school
| for Vermont health officers spent some lit
tie time III examining the pathological
specimens illustrating the different stages
| of tuberculosis and the means adopted for
| hghtng this disease, which are on exhi-
| bition in the game room at the Y. NJ. g.
| a. building. There is also a general OK
| hibit of sanitary appliances by houses
| dealing in these goods.
| The meeting was called at 10 o'clock and
| there was a fair attendance The nrst pa
per was given by City Clerk Charles T.
| Allen of Burlington on THE Necessity of
| Uniformity in Registration and Classiiica-
| ton of Vital Statistics MIR. Allen en-
| phasized the great Importance of the sub
Ject and said that it is at the present time
| the earnest desire of the State Board OF
! Health that our present registi alton law
should be so amended that its require
| ments shall be in accordance with the best
| methods and forms to be employed in the
| practical conduct of such work and be
| uniform with the suggestions of the Uni
ted states census department., which nave
| already been approved by the committee
| on demography and statistics in their
| sanitary relation of the American Public
| Health association. These statistics should
| be accurate and comparable Unless ac-
Il Curate they are misleading and unless
comparable the results cannot be utilized.
| Uniformity can only be secured i'll each
| state.
Vital statistics arc facts which concern
humanity as a whole and refer to births,
| marriages and deaths, and the ends sought
for are to protect and preserve IN
dividual and family relations and to
! Improve the condition and assist in the dir
cction of public sanitary work. The speak
er commended the Ber,illon classihcatio
in this State as making our system haf-
| monious with that of the Census Bureau
and with those states and municipalities
which have already approved of 1t. There
should he more careful statements OF
causes of death and more complete reports
OF births and marriages.
i Two years ago various suggestions as 70
the improvement Of our system OF r"SiStrd-
ton were largely incorporated in bills for
the Imt ndment of our present regis .at,on
laws SO that the State could act in har-
mony with the general government and CO.
operate with other States in the effort to
obtain valuable and comparable statistics.
These bills however. failed to pass, prOba-
bly, from the reason that the time would
not permit their careful examination, but
we hope that in the next Legislature YER
mont will be added TO the list OF progress
siVe States in this respect.
The paper was discussed at some length
by the Hon. +. W. Baldwin of Barton,
who was a member OF the senate in 1900.
when this bill referred to in Mr. Allen pa
per failed to become law, and he cX-
planned in a measure the reasons FOR the
i non passage of the bill. lie said that II
was deficient in many particulars md was
not sufficiently concise, and he recommend
ed many changes.
After a brief discussion by various mem
bcrs OF the school the next paper was
read by the Hon. j. f., Cushman of Bur
lington on Laws Relating to Public
Health" Mr.. Cushman's paper was a
valuable one and in it he clearly set forth
Ia,