The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-10-02
DEATH RECORDS
SHOW SURPRISES
State Soon to Have It's First
Official Volume of Vital
Statistics.
WILL MAKE GOOD SHOWING
Diseases Not Generally Thought
Serious Show Heavy Nor
tality Rate.

For the first time In It's history. Vir-
Einia is soon to have an accurate record
of its vital statistics. 1t may be that
during the first few years at James
town Island somebody kept a record OF
births and deaths, but If so they have
been lost. Certainly since then no
definite effort has been made to secure
real information on the subject until
the last session of the General Assem-
bly, authorized the State Board of
Health to gather this data
The first complete year under the
new law ended on Wednesday. Clerks
in the office of the State Health De-
partmcnt. under DR.. w. y. Picker, arc
busy compiling the returns from tho
various counties. and by October Is it
is expected that Health Commissioner
Ennion G. Williams will be in Il posi-
ton to report to the Governor the
exact number of births and deaths in
the state during tho past year as well
rs valuable information in regard TO
the number Of cases OF various con-
tagious diseases Such records have
been Kept in cities with more or less
accuracy for years. but only I'm the
past year has the State Attempted any
thing that would enable Virginia to
place its health record against that
of other States and to prove its fig
ires by actual vital reports and not
oy estimates
Follow Census Standards.
In compiling the health statistics for
virginia. the standards set by the
Ohited states Census Bureau have been
strictly followed. III order TO make ac-
curatc comparisons easy The actual
collection of vital statistics under the
new law began in July, 1912 and has
been going on for fourteen months. but
the report OF the Health Department. as
OF the end OF the States fiscal year will
for the first time give the state birth
and death rate for the year. together
with the rate per 1000 of population
for all manner OF diseases contagious
and otherwise
Prior TO SOS births and deaths were
roughly estimated by commissioners of
the revenue and forwarded along with
their reports to the State Auditor OF
Public Accounts. These reports were
recently turned over by Auditor Moore
10 the State Library. They are not
accompanied by any medical certlti-
cate as TO the cause Of death. but. in
complete as they are. they furnish the
only records available from 1860 to
lsFS. From that time to July. 1912
the state has no records of any sort
relating to births and deaths beyond
the certificates kept in the larger cities
ana III ono or two counties. If any one
rad chosen to circulate reports that
' :. = '4'.'N - IS bItt Il!OSl uDncAltnN state
IN the Union. the State would AT no
time have been in position to disprove
the libel. While the fluctuations for
the past year are incomplete as vet II
Is stated that tho showing for the year
IS most satisfactory.
one OF the striking facts shown by
the tables now in course OF prepare
ton IS The marked difference between
mo registration in the counties and
IN the cities In the country districts
the returns Of births. while not com
riete. is relatively full. while in the
cities it is the belief Of the health Of
iicinls that hundreds of births among
the colored population are not report-
Cd ON the other hand. the death GER
tihcatcs from cities may be relied on to
Include practically every death that
has occurred.
When inquiry was made for figures
as 10 certain diseases at the State
Health Department yesterday. it was
stated that no figures would be made
public until the complete tabulations
were submitted 20 the Governor II
was stated. however that some OF the
statistics We're both alarming and sur
pTlSing. The state shows n heavy
mortality from diseases which II was
not generally thought had assumed
serious proportions. The mortality
rate Tor some other communicable dis
eases. about which there has been
much discussion is shown to have
been surprisingly low