Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-09-16
HYGIENE And SANITATION.
III-VITAL STATISTICS.
By Frederic J. Haskin.

The program of the division of demog-
raphy-or vital statistics-of the inter-
national Congress OF Hygiene and De-
biography covers the whole range or
health and death statistics. 1t is only
through the work of those who gather
and digest the statistics of health and
disease that a country is able to know
that measures are needed to promote the
public health and what results follow the
adoption of these measures. For IN
stance, when vaccination against typhoid
fever was worked out it was only De-
cause the Information gathered with ref
erence TO the prevalence of the disease
pointed the medical fraternity to the
necessity of adopting repressive meas
ures Likewise but for the statistics
kept it would be impossible now TO gauge
the full results of the new methods of
rendering people immune from the dis
ease. The results have been so remark
able that they would hardly be believed
hut for the cold figures that have been
kept. When We consider 5000 cases of
vaccination. measuring the number OF
cases and the number of deaths in a IKE
number of non-vaccinated persons, and
then compare the results with the cases
of those who have been vaccinated. We
begin TO see what the effect of Vacclna-
ton against typhoid has been.
The same is true of tubercuiosls, OF
diphtheria. and other contagious dis
eases. The doctor does the work and the
statistician checks 1t up. When man
finds that the death rate in tuberculosis
in cut in twain since doctors were INTRO
duced to the germ Of the disease by DR..
Koch, that less than one-third as many
children die from diphtheria since the
advent of the antitoxin treatment. that
typhoid fever is largely robbed of its
terrors through vaccination. he loses his
skepticism and if lie is a lawmaker or an
executor of the law he helps enforce
these lessons. Thus are medical statis-
tics the conclusive test and principal aid
of medical science.
Three principal kinds of data are es-
sential to proper checking up of health
conditions In any country. The first IS
the statistics of births. With these sta
tistics. data as to infant mortality make
their beginning. Without them no accurate
measure of health conditions in infancy
can be taken. We know that infancy is
the most fatal period of human life. and
that il Is impossible effectively to protect
the little babies without accurate data
about them. Yet comparatively few of
the countries of the world have ade-
quate birth statistics. In our own coun-
try very few of the states have birth
registration laws.
Inc second essential line OF lnforma ton
needed properly to gauge the public
health, to tell
The Second Essential of the need of
Is Data on Disease. ms.p,,res and
10 indicate the results that grow out of
the adoption of such measures is data
concerning diseases. Many states have
made certain of the most serious diseases
reportable-that is, doctors are obliged to
report cases in their practice to the local
health officers. In the majority of cities
and also in "a few of the states all con-
tagious diseases are required to be re-
ported. Without such data Chicago never
would have known the wide extent of
typhoid fever prevailing there. and the
drainage canal would not have been built.
And without it afterward the wonder
full result in the cutting down of the
death rate from typhoid fever-the eco
nomic saving being vastly in excess of
the interest on the cost-could not have
been measured.
Death statistics also are highly essen
tial One of the great problems has been
to get a universal death certificate and
a universal practice i'll the statement of
the causes of death. An international
congress has considered this matter and
steps are being idken looking to the
worldwide use of standard death GER
tificate showing the causes of death These
data now are given more thoroughly than
any other kind of health statistics. More
than half of the population in the United
States ROW lives in territory where there
Is registration of the causes of death.
The census office is pushing .the move
ment To nave all the states adopt such
registration.
All of these matters will come before
the congress in the form of reports upon
results and discussions. One of the speak
ers viii be DIR. CresSy l.. Wilbur, chief
statisucian for vital statistics of the CEN
sus bureau. lie will tell of the remark
able strides that have been made in the
development of vital statistics in the
Chited states since 1890. The discussion
OF state health statistics laws will be an
interesting feature of the PROCEEDINGS
One speaker will tell about the success
OF the model law enacted by the state of
pennsylvania, while another will tell how
missouri instituted its law and made ii
eHectiVe There have been large num-
Der or court decisions on matters affect
ing the health laws of the various states
ana their bearing on the situation will
get hearing. Kentucky is the first state
south or the Ohio river TO adopt an ade-
quate system of death registration and
the registrar of that state Will tell about
the operation of the law and it's results
virginia is preparing for the operation of
the model law, and Dr. w A Picker
Will tell what the Virginians are doing
in that direction.
IL is well known that health conditions
IN the rural districts are better than
those in the
Health Much Better cities as is re-
in Rurol n;s+r;o4 Elected by the
death rate a
Canadian authority will bring a paper
showing he y-nla Of