St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1912-02-24
Their Importance Becoming
Better Understood and
the Enforcement of Reg
istration Laws Recognized
as Necessary Everywhere.
(By Frederick J. Haskin. J

announcement is significant, since
shows gradually growing sentimen
y lin favor of combating contagious dis
: eases by organized effort. 1t is he'll
z that such reports are requisite to tn
v effective administration of the healt
s laws of the various States and essen
: tial to a nationwide study of tn
: causes Of diseases and the method
3 Eof their repression. The "registra
: ton area of the country compris
; those States and cities which CIV,
the necessary information prescribed
) in the standard death ceriificat,
> which has been formulated by tn,
, Health authorities of the United
States. This certificate with thu
principles of the International state
ment of the causes of death which
has been framed by the health au
thorities of the entire civilized world
The laws of twenty-one States
Ihave been pronounced by the Census
Bureau to be sufficiently productive
of accurate mortality statistics 20 en-.
listration area" One of the latest
Estates to join the movement for &C.
curate, vital and mortal statistics is
North Carolina. This State recent
ly passes law providing for uni
form methods of death registration
with all the essential requirements
LOT the standard law prepared by the
census authorities and the health Of
ficials of the country The Uniform
administration and enforcement in
each municipal Jurisdiction. This
law applies to all municipalities hav-
ing a population of 500 or more.
Texas alone has made improvements
lin the sanitary code, requiring each
incorporated city and towE in the
State to register all deaths. 1t is as
serted by the census authorities that
there are many practical diff 'ulties
in the way of attaining effective
State registration in sonc parts of
the South, and that it will probably
be a long time before the rural pop
ulation of these States can be reach
ed by the death registration laws.
The movement for the extension
of the registration area of the United
States is being fostcred anG pressed
by concerted efforts CT the Census
Bureau and the Americal Medical
Association. A model lew, drafted
serve as q basis for legislation in
States not possessing effective regis
'tration of births and deaths. Laws
complying with the underlying prin-
ciple Of this model law have been
enacted in number of States, in
|cluding Pennsylvania and Ohio.
They have uniformly proved practical
in operation and capable Of giving
satisfactory results when admins
tered thoroughly. A law based en-
tirely on the model bill went into
effect in Missouri in February, 1910.
Similar laws became operative in
Kentucky and Idaho during 1911.
Imported registration methods have
been enacted into the State laws of
Louisiana and Tennessee. The pres
ent session of the Virginia legisla-
ture will be asked to pacs regis
tration law along similar lines, the
proposed measure being pressed by
the health authorities of the State.
The Census Bureau has adopted
can Public Health Association as to
the things essential for q thorough
registration of the births and deaths
of the country. In each case eight
essentials are laid down. These for
the adequate registration of deaths
embrace a prompt recording of each
death, the record to be made upon
standard form of ceath certificate.
Another requirement iG compulsory
burial and removal permits. 1t is
also set forth that the local regis
trars shall be efficient; that the re-
sponsibility for reporting deaths shall
be placed upon the undertaken, and
that the health authorities shall have
full control of the local machinery.
The transmission and preservation
of the returns must be provided for,
and penalties for failure to carry out
the registration laws provided and
enforced.
The Census Bureau states that the
enactment of death registration laws
is highly desirable, but that how
ever perfect any system mey be In
theory, it is of no value II in prac-
tice physicians, undcrtakers and 9th
er persons are allowed to violate the
law without punishment. 1t is stat
ed that this is common weakness
in the administration of American
registration laws. Many States now
rigidly enforce the laws for regis
|tration of deaths, and some of them
are beginning to place equal stress
upon the enforcement Of the laws re-
Quiring the registration cf births.
Not only is the Census Bureau IN,
|terested in. the matters of death and
birth registration, but likewise the
Public Health and Marine Hospital
Service. This service has recently
issued most valuable contribution
to the subject Of death and birth reg
istration in. the shape of digest Of
all State laws, providing for the re-
porting of diseases. The authori-
ties of the service state that it is gen
orally agreed that the function Of the
health officer is the prevention Of dis
ease, and that this requires. know
ledge of the prevalence and geog-
|raphic distribution of all kinds of
sickness. This knowledge, 1t is as
serted, can be secured only through
the reporting of all cases of sick
ness.
With the advance of the science of
preventive medicine there IL concur
lrently constantly growing lst of
|preventable diseases The health
authorities declare that If the most
il to be made of the lessons of pre-
ventive medicine, it is highly impor-
tant thorough registration shall he