The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-02-01
PROVISIONAL BIRTH
REGISTRATION AREA

PROVISIONAL BIRTH
REGISTRATION AREA
Census Bureaus Effort Toward Pre-
vention of InfantaIe Mortality.
Washington, Feb. IAN interest
ing statement regarding the estab-
lishment by the Census Bureau of a
provisional birth registra ton area IN
the United States, for the purpose of
compiling statistics enabling the sci
entific study and prevention of infan-
tile mortality, has been submitted to
Census Director Durand by DR.. Cres-
sy L. Wilbur, chief statistician for vi
tai statistics in the Census Bureau,
who is directing the work.
Acting on the principle that vital
statistics aresthe foundation of scien-
ti1c public-health work, the Census
Bureau, through DR.. Wilbur. began
in 1908 the collection of statistics of
births with view of establishing a
provisional birth registration area.
This work has steadily progressed I'M
til at the present time the tentative
area includes the New England States
and Pennsylvania, Michigan and the
District of Columbia. although the
latter, which is co-extensive with
Washington City. whose laws are
made by the direct action of Con-
gress, does not register all its births.
In fact, it is stated, the only state in
which a determined effort has been
made to enforce thoroughly the reg
istratfon of births, as the law pr
vides. with prosecution and infection
of the penalty of the law in delin-
quent cases, is Pennsylvania.
Foreign Nations Far Ahead.
The statement notes that it may be
surprising and even humiliating to the
average American citizen to learn
I,nf ~ f,,,. II; II
foreign nations in regard to vital sta
tistics, and that there is not a single
state, nor even a single city. in the
entire United States which possesses
a complete registration of births. Bos-
ton claims to have the best but only
sc per cent. complete, while probab-
~ the most worthless registration of
births among all the cities of the ell
tire world. it is stated, may be claim
ed by Baltimore. Chicago and New
Orleans
| Although foreign countries register
practically 100 per cent. of their
births, it was decided by the Census
Rureau. when 1t began to establish
the provisional registration area. that
the high standard abroad could not be
maintained in the United States. In
fact for the states whose vital sta
tistics and records ARE new, raportsd
to the Census Bureau, the minimum
accuracy accepted is 80 per cent.
The transcripts of the originR
birth registration records in the states
in the provisional area have been
received ut the Census Bureau. and
the work of compiling the figures is
being pushed to completion. Mean
whife. the campaign to arouse public
interest in the matter of the com
plete regiStra ton of births, With tn :
especial object of prevention of jnfan-
tile mortality. is being actively and
widely waged Owing to the fact that.
with the exception of the District of
Columbia and the territories, all laws
governing vital statistics are state en-
actin ents. and not national III origin,
the task of securing uniformity in
methods and thoroughness in en-
forcement is most difficult. It is only
by cooperating with state medical as
scciations and state boards of health
that any progress is being made. The
Census Bureau can and does act only
cooperation of the state and sanitary
Officials.
The Bill Before Congress.
At the present time there is a bill
before Congress providing for the bet
ter registration OF births in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, Such legislation
for the District should be a mod Ell
and standard for similar bills to be
presented to Iegisla lures in other
been formed for the purpose of arous-
ing public interest inn campaign
against the preventable causes of
death, especially the very high NOR
talityaof infants. Many leading wo-
mems clubs are also engaged in IN
educational movement along these
lines.
The statement adds that what is
chiefly needed in planning and con
Quoting this work are complete and
ity fer individual cities. rural dis
tricts, and states and for the nation
as whole The accurate state
ment of infantile mortality requires
the complete and satisfactory regis
tration of both births and deaths. The
statistical definition of the term elm
fantile mortality is 1.-The ratio of the
number of deaths of infants under
year of age. exclusive of stillborn, to
1000 children born alive. Reference is
made to recent report by the Cen
sus Committee on the registration of
births. in which it is stated:
Talk about registration of births
in the United States! Why, for not
more than one-half (55.3 per cent?
of the total population of this coun-
try is there even fairly accurate reg
istration of deaths alone. No other
civilized nation on the face of the
earth so neglects it's duty in this re-
spect or holds the vital records of it's
people In such low esteem. Ameri-
ca should not mean barbarity in it's
relation to infantile life"
The Prescribed Remedy.
The remedy proposed for this con-
dition of affairs should provide, first
for the enactment of adequate laws
for the complete registration of
births and deaths in all states that do
not at present possess them, and, sec
ond, for the thorough enforcement of
the present laws and of new laws
principles upon which successful reg
istration law must be constructed in
this country have been thoroughly
settled in the light of practical ex-
perience, and a model law in confor-
nifty with such principles has been
drawn up and indorsed by medical
and public-health associations. This
law has been put in operation in sew
eral stateas and is giving most excel
provisions are really enforced. but in
the great majority of states the COM
pulsory enforcement of the provisions
of the laws for the registration CT
births, by means of the penalties pro-
vfded for noncompliance, is practi-
cally a dead letter and is mainly re-
sponsible for the worthless character
of the United States statistics of
births and the utter absence of any re-
liable figures for infantile mortality.
In fact, no reliable data of infantiIe
is an accurate registration Of births
1t is estimated that in the United
States the deaths of babies less than
year old constitute one-fifth of the
annual total mortality, and of these
deaths at least $4,000 need not have