The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-09-04
Considered Among Nations Assets.

| considered Among Nations Assets.
The idea of baby as a national as
set is new way of putting so inn
portant a subject, for babies are be-
coming much more important than they
used to be. The American Academy of
! Medicine, which is to consider, among
other topics, the economic value of a
babe as a national asset at its con-
vention in New Haven Nov. Hip. has
pointed out that so low a valuation has
been put on babies heretofore that moth
ing has been done in this country to
maintain an accurate registration of
births. England and other countries
| have thought differently, and away
back in 1888 Great Britain passed the
necessary laws. Having been instruct
ed by precept and example by the
mother country in the way in which
they should go statisticly, the British
colonies are as careful in this regard
as the home land.
In the United States, Massachusetts
was first to require accurate registra-
ton, having so enacted thirty-eight
years ago. Some other states have
similar registration, and many cities
independent of states have registration
but as the birth rate is obtained only
over scattered sections, it is difficult to
determine the relation between the birth
rate and death rate for the entire coun-
try and the ratio to population. Health
officers and statisticians who have
studied the situation are of the opinion
that the periodic alarm over an alleged
decline of birth rate below the death
rate is without foundation. The care
lessness in some sections of physicians
in registering births and the need of
la Y-er,
are responsible in part for the apparent
decline. Until there is uniform sys-
tenn of registration throughout the
country accurate statistics are not
available.
New York has, recently passed a law
which requires the registration of births
within thirty-six hours, and this time
limit is said to typify the convictions
of the most enlightened members of the
medical profession in this country and
abroad. Early registration makes pos
slble the immediate enforcement of the
regulations that are accomplishing
great deal toward the prevention of in
fantile diseases and blindness, and to-
ward the ultimate reduction of the
death rate.
On the question of registration of
births and deaths E. Dana Durand. di-
rector of the census. has this to say:
The states having effective registra-
ton laws of death are as follows: Cali
fornia, Colorado. Connecticut. Indiana.
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts. Mich
gan New Hampshire New Jersey.
New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island.
South Dakota, Vermont, Washington
md Wisconsin. Minnesota, Montana.
Nebraska, North Dakota. Ohio and
Utah have recently adopted laws whose
'esults are now under observation.
other states have registration laws
which do not meet the requirement of
his office. The vital statistics report of
he bureau relate solely to deaths no
states, nor even a single city. being vet
known to have a complete
egistration of births go per cent of all
births that occur-minisnum standard)
o warrant its admission to the regis
ration area for births.
The complete registration of births
las an important bearing on the life and
uture health of babies as we'll as value
n the child labor problem, the conser
alton of the rights of adults, in prop
rty holding. jury duty, and the like.
he conference to be held in New
1aven, Conn.,, is especially interested
y the Prevention of Infant Mortalftv''