The Dickinson press., 1909-01-09
MORE BORN
Than die

Vital Statistics for the Past Year
Show Big Increase in Births
Over Deaths. Many Marriages.
Health Board Plans Changes.
| In Stark county. at any rate, the new
vital statistics law which was passed
by the Legislature of 1907 and which
went into effect last April. is not work
ing out satisfactorily and while the law
is intended to make the records of births
and deaths more complete than hitherto,
the filling out of the new blanks re-
quires so much red tape and is so CON-
plicated that the statistics are far from
complete.
The law requires the attending ::physi-
clans at births or deaths. to fill out
prescribed blanks within certain length
of time. Where there is no doctor in
attendance. it is the duty of the father
or mother to give the information. In
this part of the country where there are
so many foreigners it often happens
that no physician is present and it is
these records which are so difficult to
secure correctly made out. So much
information is required and the parents
are so unfamiliar with the statistics,
if report ed, are often incorrect, and
more frequently no report is made.
At meeting of the Stark county
board of health at the home of DR.. H.
A. Davis this week the board organized
and the question of how to secure the
best results was discussed at length.
M. L. Mcbride. the states attorney.
was made president of the board, J. P.
Tingle, vice president and DR.. H. A.
Davis. superintendent of public health.
The board finally hit upon this plan
and will present their ideas to the coun-
ty commissioners in the near future.
The plan is furnish every teacher in the
county with the different forms of
blanks, for reporting births and deaths.
J and have the teacher instruct the schol-
l ars in the proper way of giving the
required information. The teacher is
; also to require the scholars to report to
her the deaths and births that occur in
their immediate families or neighbor-
, hoods and the teacher must then give
the scholar the proper blank, show how
it is to be filled out and see that the
blank is returned with the requisite
information. The blank is then to be
forwarded to the superintendent of
public health.
It is hoped that in this way the re-
cords may be more accurately secured.
At the present time the statistics of the
city of Dickinson and of the rest of the
county are kept separate with A. j.
Osborn. city auditor, in charge of the
city record and DR.. H. A. Davis of the
county.
The blank which it is necessary to
fill out when death occurs requires the
answering of % different questions and
for birth 20 questions. This makes it
very complicated for any one with little
education.
Outside of Dickinson. in this county,
from March to January 1. there were
n births, Fl deaths and cases of con-
tagious diseases reported to the superin-
tendent of health. In March there was
one birth, one death and three contagious
cases; in April six births. one death
two contagious cases; in May, two
births, two contagious cases; in June,
nine births and two deaths in July. "a
births, five deaths and one contagious
case; in August, 10 births and two
deaths in September, four births and
one death; in October seven births; in
November, one birth; in December, 13
births, nine deaths and one contagious
case.
Of the contagious cases there were six
} cases of diphtheria with one fatality,
one each of scarlet fever typhoid fever
and small pox.
Il Most of the deaths were infants and
with no medical attendance. Fully half
of the deaths reported no physician
called. Others were one case each Of
pneumonia, tuberculosis, Brights disease.
cerebral hemonhaee, indigestion, diph-
iberia and suicide by drowning.
In the city of Dickinson, according
TO the records of the registrar, A. J..
Osborn, there have been A deaths since
March and total of 81 births. The
deaths were from many different causes
including two from tuberculosis, five
from typhoid fever, one from appendi-
citis. two from the result of railroad
wrecks, and two from fractured skulls.
In the entire county during the first
two months Of the year, there were Is
deaths and 40 births. The total mum.
Der of deaths, including the is for the
first two months, the A in the city dur.
ing the last ten months and the q IN the
country, reaches 80 while tie birfh,
total 174 Of which 20 were III, ,Jai1,iars
uS~n IVAN . "a