The Prescott daily news., 1914-02-17
TO THE PUBLIC

WilH the llSt or men and WOmer who are going to serve as registrar, and deputy registrars for their res. pective townships; we feel that tht Vital Statistics of this County for the year 1914, will be complete not birth or death will be left unreported.
 Very few people realize the value of well kept system of Vital Statistics to a Board of Health, or any other organization that is interested in the work of improving the health of a country.
 Someone may ask the question What good will be accomplished by keeping a record of all births and deaths? 7" We will attempt to answer this question in this way. During the session of the Legislature in the Spring of 1913, new health law was passed creating Board of Health for Arkansas. This Board consists of seven physicians appointed by the gov ernor, one from each Congressional District, and whose duty it is to inves- tlgate the health conditions of the people of the State of Arkansas, and to formulate and put into effect var ious rules and regulations for the pur- pose of improving the health of the people, and to give us healthier and more sanitary State in which to live. Now, if this Board of Health is able to render the service to the people of the State of Arkansas along the lines of better health and better sanitation, as is intended by the law creating the same, it's members must first have some knowledge of the conditions of the health of it's people, and what is needed to be done in order that exist ing conditions may be improved.
 This Bureau of Vital Statistics that is now being inaugurated by the Board of Health will be one of the channels through which such informa- tion may be obtained By an exami- nation of it's records the Board may at once determine the number of births and deaths occurring in the State during any certain period of time, the principal cause of death, the number of deaths as compared with the number of births. infant mortal ity. the mortality of various diseases and various epidemics, the section of the State showing the greatest num- Der of deaths, and many other valu- able points too numerous to mention, all of which are of value in giving this Board better understanding Of the condition of the health of the people, and which will suggest to them some system by which abnormal con- ditions may be wholly or partially cor rected Thus we can see that if our Bureau of Vital Statistics is to be | of much value, we must be prompt thorough and accurate in reporting all births and deaths.
 1 It is the duty of the local registrar to promptly report every birth and death in his township. It is not his duty to report communicable diseases, | but should there be any such disease in his township that is not reported by the physician attending the case, or by some member of the family in which the disease is known to exist, should there be no physician in at tendance, he should notify the county or city health officer.
 The deputy registrar should render such service to the local registrar in securing data concerning births and deaths as is necessary to thoroughly cover his township. And if at any time the local registrar should move from the township or fail to do his duty as registrar, then it becomes the duty of the deputy registrar to take up the work where left off by the local registrar, and make these re- ports promptly.
 Each registrar will be furnished with the blanks necessary for mak- ing these reports, and will be expected to preserve the same, and keep sup ply on hand at all times.
 Let every registrar do his duty and do it we'll The problem of public health that is now before the peo- ple of the State of Arkansas is a great o,, aoJ ,o Poard of Health can