Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-02
RECORD OF BIRTHS
HEALTH OFFICE HAS DIFFICULTY
IN SECURING DATA.
Prosecutions to Follow the Discovery
Of Violations of the
Law.

The health department for some timo
past has been endeavoring to find soma
practicable method of securing returns OF
all births which occur In the District OF
Columbia. Attention has already been
called to the difficulties in the way of &C.
complishing this end.
DR.. w. c. Woodward. health officer,
states that the chief difficulty lies in tho
fact that the health department has ordi-
narily no means of knowing when births
occur. except in cases when reports are
made as required ny law. 1t has how
ever. recently found 1t possible to secure
evidence in two cases and in those cases
prosecutions were instituted.
One of these prosecutions was against a
physician. the other against a midwife. In
the former case the physician made affi-
dayit that he had mailed the report of the
birth and the case was. therefore. nolle
pressed by corporation counsel The other
case is still pending
The health official states IL is expected
that the same method which enabled the
department to secure the necessary evi-
dence in these two cases will enable IL to
secure further evidence In the future and
prosecutions will be instituted accordingly.
1t is believed to be generally impracticable
from an administrative standpoint before
lnstituting prosecutions in these cases to
caution the offending parties of their fall
IT is said, will be instituted without notices,
DIR. Woodward, in discussing the matter
of prosecutions, says:
In some cases ii may be necessary to de-
part from the rule out of consdera ton for
the parents of the child. These cases occur
when the child has died before the health
department learns that its birth has not
been reported. The health department will
hereafter. so far as its available force per-
mits, whenever the certificate of death of a
young child is received. If the child was
porn in the District of Columbia search
the birth records
AS the evidence of some one who can tes.
ti1y from his own knowledge to the fact
that a given physician or midwife did at.
tend at the birth is necessary in order TO
secure conviction. prosecutions may be
instituted even In such cases if no return
OF the birth has been made, IL 1t be found
possible to secure evidence by subpoenaine
some one other than the parents of the de-
ceased enid Otherwise, however unless
there De aggravating circumstances com
be sent. VIVA
Regarded as Oversight.
1T is believed that commonly the renorts
OF births are omitted merely through over.
sight on the part of the physician One
physician who is particularly careful about
matters of this kind always carries with
MN IN the satchel which he takes when
called to attend cases of this kind blank
pIrtn ceruncates and envelopes addressed
TO the health department. These are left
with the family at the time of the FIRST
visit. so that the necessary data can be in
serted before the physician calls the second
tiihe. ne physician at his second visit
SIGNS the certificate and sees that it ia
promptly mailed. This method of making
plrtn returns seems to be the best adapted
10 secure accuracy and uniformity
other methods. however may be in
vogue that are equally satisfactory. The
important question seems to be for each
physician to find some method suited tn his
personal wants. and to follow that rather
imam TO undertake to make such returns
without any definite method or sys,em
whatsoever" iA