The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-17
MUST OBEY LAWS
City officials on Trail of Negli-
gent Physicians.
Demand That Birth and Death
Reports Be Made.
DRASTIC ORDINANCE.
RASTIC ORDINANCE.
City Attaches Big Penalty on
failure to Act.
Doctors Pay Little Attention to
Requirements.

| With the introduction of new ordi-
nance to the city council at their next
meeting, City Physician Hogeboom eX-
poets to procure for Topeka a complete
| record of every birth, death and con-
| tagious disease in the city. The new
| ordinance has been drawn up by CITY
| Attorney Ralston and will be given to
| the council. for approval Monday night
1t is expected by the officials that
this new birth and death ordinance is
| drastic and wide enough to enforce
every feature that has been allowed to
drag and fall by the wayside the last
few years. The fact that the death
rate in Topeka is about the same size
as the birth rate because of inaccurate
| records has awakened the officials TO
the requirements of the new ordinance.
The new ordinance has a number OF
| features that will give it force and i'm
portance with the physicians and doc
tors over the city. The penalty has
been boosted ahead until man is
| liable to a fine of from $40 to 500 if he
disobeys any points in the law. And it
| is said by the city officials that Judge
Urmy of the police court will give spe-
cial attention to the new law
One of the big advantages to the new
| ordinance is the new undertakers'
subject required each undertaken In the
city to report to the city physician the
age, sex, color, nationality, the place
where buried, that place where shipped
and the disposition of the body under
his charge. 1t has been contended by
| City Physician Hogeboom and Sanitary
Sergeant Vanderpool that this is not
strong enough.
Thus the new ordinance has been an
exact reproduction of the requirements
n fn TohUSiCianS under
taker must make a similar report to
that made by the doctor who was In
charge of the body and send this report
to the city physician within five days
after death
The New Ordinance.
The new ordinance says: 1T is
hereby made the duty of every I'M
dertaker in the city of Topeka to re-
port to the city physician within i've
days after the death of any person,
the remains of whom he may have IN
charge of, the name, birth place, date
of birth, date of death, age, sex, color,
race, occupation, birthplace of father,
birthplace of mother, conjugal rela-
tions, cause of death, contributing
cause of death, duration of contribut-
ing cause of death, late residence and
place of interment of such deceased
person, and if any person died in
hospital or other Institution, and such
report shall also state the name and
charge or care OF deceased person,
the name and address of undertaken
| who had charge of the remains of
said deceased person and date or max
ing report herein provided"
This is a rather long and particular
section for the benefit of the under
takers, but it is thought that it will
carry out the intentions of the city Of
ficials in getting a correct report of
the births and deaths in the city.
arb telling a good story around
the city hall in connection with this
section of the ordinance which re-
quires the undertakers to make re-
ports similar to the physicians. They
say that the whole section is an out
come of a miniature prize fight be-
tween Sanitary Sergeant Vanderpool
and Undertaken J. T. Barley which
happened in the office of Assistant
| City Attorney James Clark the other
day.
The undertaken had failed to get
his report in to the office on time and
the sanitary sergeant was raving-
| When Mr. Barley finally came the
sergeant was ''waitin' at de choich"
and battle of words new to the cor
ridors of the city hall ensued. Spar
ring and clinching with phrases which
were not very comp1ime to each
other the two mad men lodged into
the office of the assistant city attor-
ney to carry out their battle. But
Attorney Clark was too busy and did
| not have time to listen and rising from
| his desk he yelled:
"You will have to keep still If you
| want to stay here"
The two veteran warriors stopped
for minute. both of them trembling
| in every limb Finally Sergeant Van
derpool turned slowly toward his OPP
ponent and, ducking his head in order
that he might give more strength to
his vicious scowI he Kissed:
| "Barkley. if we weren't in this Of
! 1fa,
The retort came in upon the scene
| like a court jester in Shakespeare and
| the flag of truce was hoisted above
three laughing. side-splitting men. But
the city officials claim that it was
| through this controversy that the sec
ton referring to the undertakes was
| made.
Topeka has been the victim of in
accurate and incomplete birth reports
for years. It is a most important
question that the birth records be kept
and it has been wholly the fault of the
physicians who refuse to obey the law
and refuse to pay any attention to the
ordinance. The city officials contend
that if a down trodden man on the
street disobeyed an ordinance he
would be arrested and taken before
the police Judge. Therefore, they say.
a physician should be accorded the
same treatment-he disobeys the law