Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-08-16
BIRTH RECORDS
NOT COMPLETE
state Department Of Public Health
Unable to Furnish Certificates
Requested.
PHYSICIANS ARE AT FAULT
Attendants Negligent in Reporting
to Local Registrar According
10 Stale Law.
PHYSICIANS ARE AT FAUL1

Many physicians in the state of
Illinois have failed to comply with
the birth and death registration
law. il has been discovered by the
state department Of public health.
In one county i was found that
in 1917 over FIVE hundred births had
been reported improperly TO the
county clerk instead of to the local
registrars. In consequence there
is no record OF these births in the
division Of vital statistics of the
state health department The de-
partment has therefore written to
every county clerk in the state ask
ing for an immediate report of dhe
total number OF births, still-births
and deaths recorded in the county
Office from Jan l. 1919, TO July l,
1918.
Many are unfamiliar with pro
ceGure necessary IN recording
births and deaths throughout the
state. In the larger cities, doctors
OF attendants are requested to re-
port all deaths and births to the
CITY health officer, who at the end
Of certain periods makes com
pIete report to the county clerk.
In the rural communities and towns
the town clerk acts as registrar,
and in turn reports TO the county
clerk Records OF the county clerk
are either monthly, semI-annually
or annually turned over to state
officials of the health department.
Reports of the local registrar are
also sent in to the state depart
ment and are compared with those
Of the county clerk. Discrepancies
are usually found in this COmpari-
son. According TO County Clerk
Henry B. Hubbard, his report for
Rock Island county last year tai
lied within five or six Of the num-
Der reported to the state depart
ment by DIT c. T. Foster, city health
physician.
This Is considered by the state
authorities as d most important
ana urgent matter at the present
time The United States has never
accepted the vital statistics report
ed by the state of Illinois, and the
department of public health of this
state is seeking admission for Hi
n0is into the federal registration
district. The department has re
quested the national bureau Of cen
sus TO send investigators into The
state 10 check up the records, anC
these have been promised. COntin
ued discrepancies Will result in the
prolonged exclusion Of the state
records from the national stats
tics
officers of the state health depart
meut and local registrars through
out the state are besieged with re
quests for certified copies of brit
and death certificates. Although
the most recent ones can in some
cases be furnished. it is practically
impossible to provide those of sa!
20 years back. for there are no rec
ords Certificates Of birth anC
death records are essential under
many conditions, such as determin
ing citizenship. age, settlement o
estates and many others.
Flooded With Requests.
The most numerous requests 70,
birth and death records arise iron
war conditions and from desire Il
obtain work. Proof Of eligibility O.
exemption regarding army servic'
necessitaJes birth certificates. ant
without which serious trouble Will
government authorities may result
This difficulty has also been exper
fenced by Americans in foreign
lands who write their birthDlacl
desiring certified record Of thei
birth. Such certificates are FIRE
queutly required as evidence Of ma
tionaLty citizenship. right TO vote
right 10 hold Office. right to militar,
service, and right to be married.
Chief cause for complaint is tn
negligence Of attendants who seen
70 think that compliance with tn
law is a favor rather than duty. &C
cordiug to state department o