The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-01-01
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, d. G.
BIRTH AND DEATH RECORDS.

life, fortune. or happiness depended
on knowing the date and place of
your birth, could you prove by Off
cial record these facts of your ex-
istence?
Probably not; for so recently as
1916 only twelve states registered
births satisfactorily, and before 1900
very few states kept complete records
of vital statistics.
The importance of birth and death
registration is shown by instances
that occur every day. There is the
ancient story OF an american IN Eu-
rope who was prohibited from marry
ing a French girl because he could
not prove to the authorities that he
had been born.
More serious were the cases during
the early part of the war, when Amer
leans in Europe were suspected OF
being British or German spies, and
were informed that their lives de-
pended on official records Of their
births in the United, States Gables
semitic the native towns of the prison
ers resulted in some cases in the de-
sired information being furnished i'm
mediately, and the men suspected
were released. IN some instances, 10
records could be found.
These situations, Of course. were
unusual. But the need for referring
to vital records is constantly met with
in employment. Strangely enough,
large numbers of grown people do
not know exactly how old they are.
A man may go thru life without ever
being embarrassed by any mystery at
tached to his early days. But then
again, If he is to inherit property, the
question of the heirs exact age be-
comes important; and If the man VINO
believes he is twenty-five cannot prove
this assertion by the family Bible, or
by official records, the family fortune
may pass on to a relative with UNI
Questioned status. The story is still
told by lawyers of the boy who saved
his fortune by having witnesses TESTIFY
that he was born the same day as
certain registered horse.
Birth records are often needed to
enforce school attendance laws. and to
keep parents from putting their chill
dren into shops and factories on the
claim that they are of legal age to
work. Sometimes the child is obvi-
ously under the legal age limit, but II
there is no register. to show the exact
! date of birth, the employer usually
can take the applicant without fear
of breaking the child labor law.
All these examples illustrate the
uses to which vital statistics are put
| by the public. Yet only twenty-five
states now have satisfactory laws for
registration of births while thirty
| three register deaths by systems pro-
nounced satisfactory by Statisticians.
The registration of deaths and sick
ness is as important, If not more so,
| than birth registration. Practically all
| of the states attempt to keep some
record of deaths, but the methods vary
so much that it is difficult to use the
figures to compile accurate statistics.
| An effort to coordinate vital regis
tration laws and to urge nationwide
| registration is to be made at con-
| ference of health officials and organ
| izations fighting disease. At the con-
ference, to be held at washington this
month, prevention of deaths and
methods of combating disease will be
| discussed.
Many thousands of preventable
| deaths occur in the United States
| every year. This means that our
| knowledge of sanitation, surgery, and
| science is not used as efficiently as 1t
might be. One reason for this is that
health officials and doctors cannot at
tack disease, until they know of it's
existence. If typhoid epidemic
starts in Il neighborhood, and there is
no law or local regulation to make the
doctors report cases, the disease may
spread all over the town before the
city officials are aware of its serious
ness. Whereas if doctors report
promptly the first cases, the health
| officer can warn the people as to pre-
| investigate and attempt to remove the
| cause.
To report each disease handled is
some trouble to a physician, but the
effect on the health of a community
| is so apparent that more and more
cities and states are demanding this
service of their doctors. Reporting
cases is made as little trouble as pos
sible by use of a printed card which
| the doctor has only to check in vari-
proper city Or county official. No
stamp is needed, nor is it necessary
to write an address on the card.
| In England where the reporting of
cases is demanded of doctors twenty
| five cents is naid for each disease re-
ported. A bonus is not offered in this
country, as the cards minimize effort
on the doctors part, and the expense
would be so great. Furthermore, the
states employing the system declare
that the service is a fair return for
the license to practice issued by the
state.
Only according to returns on dis
ease and death can a city judge of its
| health status. That the people in
general are calmly unconscious of
| health conditions in their community
| unless statistics are brought to their
| lima health official some time ago.
| This official telephoned to five promi-
nent citizens, all interested in the
citys welfare. and asked them to an
| swer offhand two questions: First,
what is your opinion of the health of
this city, and, second, how many peo-
| pie would you say died in this city
last year?"
To the first question all five replied
that the health of the city was good.
The guesses as to the number of
| deaths in q year varied from sixty to
| three hundred. The answers showed
! how little the people of the city knew
of their local health situation, for the
death figure that year was EOS. maxi
| ing the death rate almost double the
rate for the United States in general.
| Once a city is aware of its deficien-
cies, it can start a campaign to over
come them. Without accurate statis-
| tics, as a guide, any drive for better
| heath ;e M 70 he ;afFactro1