El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-09-28

nave been called the cinderella o.
modern public hygiene. declaring that
she sits in the chimney corner and
| Sits the ashes of dusty figures while
her proud sisters, Bacteriology and
Preventive Medicine, go to the ball and
tell of the wonderful things they nave
done He might have added that they
would never have known OF their trl-
umphs but for the ashes sitting pro-
cesses of their sister, Cinderella Nor
could they have achieved the IullneSs
of their successes but for her assist
ance. While they were accomplishing
something she was recording II, anu
it was upon that record that they were
able to command the support necessary
for new achievements.
Social facts are known fully only
when they are measured, and statistics
are the yardstick by which that meas
ure is taken-a yardsuck for which no
substitute can be found Where would
the world be TO-DAY in its fight against
typhoid fever but for the statistics that
have proved every step that has been
taken and has given the Information
upon which each succeeding step could
be made2 AS the civil engineer, start
ing at sea level, can run a line of pre-
else levels and tell to the fraction of
an inch the elevation of hill 1000
miles away, so the statisticlan, start
ing at a given point in medical po-
the success that attends each new ef-
fort put forth 70 the conservation OF
the public health.
Reducing the Death Rate.
When New York lowers its annual
death rate frcm q in every 1000 of
population to 16 in 1000 in a quarter OF
a century and vital statistics show Il,
is there not world of encouragement
to backward cities to initiate its
methodist When London cuts down the
proportion of deaths by a full third IN
% years the measuring of its success
is bound to inspire and guide other
communities 10 initiate it and to lead
London to new efforts in the future
When Hamburg saves two lives out
Of every five by the application of by
giene and sanitation does ii not bid
other municipalities to copy its meth
DDS? When Amsterdam cuts down Its
number of deaths to one-half its pro-
portions in so years, does not that dem
onstrate that thousands upon thou
sands of lives may be saved by proper
observance Of the laws Of hygiene and
sanitation?
The same is true of states When
Maine sees that Il out of each 1000 Of
its people die every u months, and
that on the other hand only 10 out OF
each 1000 in Washington die annually,
Maine begins to study how it may
save those seven precious lives. When
Indiana cuts down its death rate,
Pennsylvania gets inspiration from its
success. Vital statistics are the crI-
terion by which We determine whether
we have been shooting into the air or
accomplishing practical results with
health campaigns without them we
would have to go forward blindly. With
them we can go forward with our eyes
open
Vital statistics being absolutely es-
sential to sanitary progress, just as the
compass is absolutely necessary TO the
navigation Of a ship, it becomes high
y important that they should be accu-
rate. II they are not their own errors
worthy they arc worthless The prob
lem then is to make them accurate.
And II the health OF one community is
to be compared with that Of another
they must be uniform. To secure ac-
curacy of statistics has been a diff
cult matter. In nearly half of the
United States there is not even COM
pulsory death registration that makes
any statistics Of value possible Nearly
all of the southern states have been
slow in passing adequate death regis
tration laws that the census o11ice
makes no protense OF using any Statis-
tics that come from them In defence
Of their failue it is to be admitted
other difficulties have to be met thai
would partially neutralize any effort
TO gather adequate statistics. But
gradually the proportion of the pop
uldllOn HNlHS WllHAn areas covered BI
adequate registration laws is increas- /
ing, until now the census office is able
from year to year to report the num-
Der of deaths among IS percent of the
co ntry's population The American I!
public health associat zion is helping the
movement along, and it is hoped that {
it will not be many years before /
trustworthy Death statistics will be 1
available in every state in the union /
Death Certificates Necessary.
it is necessary that the certificates of
death shall be accurate in their state !
ment Of the causes of death. To this
end burial permit stating the cause
is required before burial can be made.
In order that this may contain the
correct information a standard death
certificate for the civilized world has I
been adopted. Physicians are often I
inclined to be careless in defining the
cause of the death of patient some
times they will fill out the certificate
with probably tuberculosis or from
q complicatiO of diseases" OF heart &
failure" and this leaves the statisti- g.
cian only guess
To overcome this difficulty a vest +
pocket manual telling physicians ex-
actly how to designate each case has
been distributed TO the doctors
throughout the country. This little
guide has been Of great assistance to
physicians and has assisted them very
in stating correctly the {
causes of death. and consequently has
assisted the statisticians in getting
accurate figures. The census bureau
and the American Medical association
have been behind this movement, the
census bureau having issued the
guides
Incomplete Records of Births.
While progress toward the universal
registration of deaths in the United
States is being made, this is not true !
IN any marked degree of the registra- j
ton of births. Very few of even the !
cities leading in the health movement !
have anything like adequate reSistra-
ton of births. Some years ago. TIL
United States, through a joint resolu-
ton of congress, called the attention /
IF the several states to the model vital ,
law proposed BY the census
bureau and the American Public
Health association, and invited them to
adopt such law. But congress swept
the doOrsteps of others before it |
cleared away its own portals; for the
quake doctor" or ague doctor. Many |
ignorant persons professed to charm
AWAY this disease. so the term quake !
doctor" arose. which has been cor
-upted into quack doctor.