The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-01-30
The Bookkeeping of Life and Death

The test of any public innovation is:
Does 1t pay the State, does it pay
the community; Goes it pay the citl-
en-" 1t is the purpose OF this ar
ticle to show that the collection OF
vital statistics pays the State, the com
munlty and the citizen.
In Brazil there are areas of land
larger than any State in the Union,
capable of the highest state of cult
walton, and on which practically any
thing can be raised, uncultivated anu
almost uninhabited, because of the
prevalence of disease. | cite this
merely to prove that state may
nave areas combining all the advanS-
ages of climate, rainfall, and soil ami
yet these areas are not productive
of wealth because of real or fancieQ
unhealthful conditions.
If, as is the case of our own State,
Misrepresentation of disease areas
nave been made, vital statistics fur
nishes the only method of successful
ly contradicting these misleading and
damaging rumors. If it did nothing
towards the material welfare Of
Florida, other than furnish figures
proving that our morbidity and NOR
tality rate is far below the prevalent
dea among people who are not ac
luainted with the facts, it would be
worth millions of dollars. But vital
statistics does much more than this
It directs the energies of the Board
Of Health, by showing where the
weak places are-where the supervis-
on of the Board is most needed to
'orrcct errors of sanitation; it "le-
salizes" the birth of every child in
he State; it prevents to far great
er extent than a superficial considera.
ton of the subject would seem to in.
1lcate, certain crimes; and lastly, il
puts Florida in line with practically
the whole United States, as well as
the more enlightened European ma
lions, who have recognized the ire
mendous Importance, and are now rig
idly enforcing the accurate collection
of such statistics.
In addition to the general value Of
vital statistics, any town in which
they are accurately collected will find
that these statistics work out so
luton of many vexing sanitary prob
lens. In the course of the year, the
relative prevalence of diseases is to
large extent, forgotten, and also.
physicians do not get together and
ascertain the entire number of cases
of any particular disease. Vital sta
tistics does this, and in so doing, fur
nishes the local health department
Invaluable data. And in addition to
this, our present day conception of
communicable recognizes the right
of every inhabitant to know of the
presence and location of certain dis
eases, which are known to be commu
nicable. Vital statistics furnishe.
this information.
The collection of vital statistics
furnishes the citizen with legal proof
of citizenship. 1t is a lamentable
fact that even the proudest of our
people cannot prove their descent fol
more than two generations, while the
peasants of Europe can trace theirs
for hundreds of years, and aside from
the aesthetic value, it has to every
citizen a far-reaching material value |
Questions of inheritance are continu- |
ally arising, the settlement of which |
depends upon legal proof of descent
In some foreign countries birth GER
titicate is sine qua non in the trans
terrence of reality. Entrance into
the public school systems of MANY |
places requires birth certificates |
Questions of age with reference to
occupation, life insurance, ETC., fire.
guently make a birth certificate of
great value, and last, but not least,
in case of sudden death, birth GER
tificate might be the only means of |
giving child an honorable identity.
Approaching these facts, the State
Board of Health will spare no effort il
making this work success, and to this
end, it is urged upon all registrars
and the public generally
that accurate records be kept and
that the perview of the undertaking
be fully carried out. Its value can
not be questioned-and we, the vita
statistical department of the State
Board of Health and the registrars,
must use every means of giving the
people of Florida the benefit of such
momentous endeavor.-Board Of
Health Bulletin.