Show c.- c. HYGIENE AND SANITATION in Vital lit-Vital Vital Statistics STATISTICIANS Sf A i CHECK WORK VORK Of PHYSICIANS Progress of Medical Science 1 Gauged by Wizards f. f of Figures CONDITIONS BETTER IN If COUNTRY THAN CITY 1 infant Mortality Subject of ol I I Serious Discussion by the Demographic Congress B BY J. J HASKIN The pro program am of the division of demography demo graphy or ol of vital statistics of of tho in in international in- in con congress of hygiene aud demography covers tb the tho whole range of I beath and and death statistics It is only through h the work of those who gather ather T of health and and nd digest diest the statistics that a country is able ablo to know that haL measures are arc needed to promote tho he public health and ana what results fol- fol the tho adoption of oC these theM measures when vaccination against l r instance Lover fever was wa worked out it was wa I only because the Ithe i information formation gathered with reference to the tho prevalence of the tho ise disease se po pointed the medical fraternity to o tho the necessity of adopting repressive measures Likewise but lor br the eta eta- k kept pt it would h be he impossible now to uge tho the full results of the new f JD methods of rendering people immune from from the disease The results have been boon been so BO remarkable that they would hardly ardly be b believed ed but for tho cold figures fig ures lires that tbt bavo have been kept When we consider cases Cf of vaccination iQ n of ot cases caes and iud the umber of deaths in a like liko number o ot of accounted persons and then compare the results with mth tho the ca cases es of those times who been vaccinated we begin to see ace I Wha Yh t the effect feet of vaccination a against has been i I typhoid I Iy l The Tho same anio is true tru of tuberculosis of oC diphtheria and other contagious dis eases aes The doctor does the thc work and andi i e statistician checks it up When a aLinan aman man inan finds that the death rate in tuber tuber- J t is cut in twain since sinco doctors introduced to the germ of the disease dis tease ease by Dr Koch Koch that less than one one- third a aft many children die from diphtheria theria Uberia 6 since nee tho advent of oJ the antitoxin treatment that typhoid fever is largely ar ely robbed of ot its terrors tenors through vaccination vaccina vaccina- tion lion be he loses lOBes his skepticism and i if he heis heis is isa a law maker or an executor of ot the law Jaw ho he helps enforce these theo lessons Thus are are medical statistics tho conclusive con con- elusive test and principal aid of modi- modi science nce Three ree Kinds of Data Three principal kinds of data are CB- CB to a 1 proper checking up of health conditions in n any country The first is tho statistics of births With those these statistics data as to infant mortality mortality mortality mor mor- makes its beginning Without them no accurate measure of health conditions in infancy can be 16 taken We know that infancy is the most fat fatal l t period of human life and that it is impossible effectively to protect the little babies without accurate data about them Yet comparatively few of ot the countries of th world have adequate ado ado- quate birth statistics In our oui own country very few of the states havo have birth registration laws lawn Tho The se second nd essential line of information information tion needed properly to gauge the pub pul lic Jie health to tell teU of the need of ot re repressive ro- ro measures and to indicate tho the results that grow w out of the tho adoption o of such uch measures is data concerning diseases Many states have made mado certain tam tain of the most niost serious diseases ro reo re- re portable that portable that is s. s doctors are aro aro obliged cd Continued on pa page c 2 STATISTICIANS CHECK CHECH WORK OF PHYSICIANS Continued from pa page e 1 I. to report c cues cases ses in their practice to tc the local health officers In the of cities and also flu Un a few o of oF the states all contagious ous diseases are reI re- re I to be reported Without such data ata Chica Chicago o never would have known the wide extent of typhoid fever prevailing pre pro there thore and the Hie draina drainage e cana canal would not have o been een built And without with with- out put it afterward the wonderful re result resul in the cuttin cutting down of the death rate rat from typhoid fever the fever the economic savin saving saying sav say in ing being vastly in excess of the interest in in- terest on the tho cost could cost could not have been measured Death Figures Essential Death statistics also are hi highly es es- es One of the great grea ha has been to get et a universal death certificate certificate cate and a uni universal practice in the statement of the causes of ot death An international congress ha has considered I this matter and steps are aro bein being taken looking to the world wido wide use nse of a standard death certificate showing the causes of ot death This data now is given givon more more nOro thoroughly hl than any other othor kind of health statistics More i than an half of the tho population in n the United States now Jives lives in territory whore there is a registration re of the causes of death The census office is pushing the movement to have ha all aU the states adopt such re registration All of these theo matters will come before be be- fore the con congress ress in the form of reports reports re reo ports upon results and discussions One of the speakers will be Dr L L. L Wilbur chief statistician for vital viral statistics sta of tho the cenus bureau Ho He will wil tell of the remarkable strides that have been made mado in the development de of vital vita statistics in the United States since 1900 Tho The discussion of state health statistics laws will ho bo aD an interesting feature of the proceedings Ono One speaker will toll tell about tho the success success success' suc sue cess cess cess' of the model law enacted b by the state of Pennsylvania while another will tell how Mi Missouri OUri institute its la law and made it effective There have been a lar large e number of ot court decisions on matters affecting the health Jaws laws of the thc various states and their bearin bearing on the situation will get et a a. hearing Kentucky is B the first tint state tate south of the Ohio river t to tb adopt an adequate 8 system of death re registration and the re registrar of oi that state will tell about the operation operation opera opera- tion ion of the law and its results Virnia Virginia Vir Vir Virginia ginia nia is preparing for the tho operation of the model law and Dr V W. W A. A will tell what the tho Vir Virginians are doing in that direction It is well known that health conditions condi condi- lions in the rural districts are arc better than in the cities as 38 is reflected by tho the death rate A Canadian authority au au- au will bring a paper showing the relation of rural and ond urban populations p to the tho public health while Prance France will bring a message concerning the im un in tho the classification of the tho cau causes s of death and as to what further changes os may be made ninde with advantage o. o Everybody knows that doctors rs sometimes sometimes some rome times timet make wron wrong diagnoses of I them thorn proposes to bring a a. paper telling the con congress ess just lust how much of ot a margin mar mar- I cm gin in of error there is is in this connection connection tion bon showing that it differs in different diseases disease's and in different localities Special Training G Given Giyen yen The training of health and death statisticians statisticians technically known as demo will demographers win will receive its share of ot attention Germany has a system of training men to be statisticians just justas as we train men inca to be bo doctors and law yen an and one of its it leading of officials will toll tell the congress how Germany makes demographers France Franco will also bo ho heard hoard from in this connection and anda a Cornell professor Will vill tel how bow the supply of and demand domand for statisticians may be increased The use of machinery ma chinery in the tho tabulation of statistics its advantages and disadvantages also will win bo be di discussed cussed Infant mortality will receive a a. lar largo large e sharo share of ot attention It will be that cutting cuttina down the deatha death death- a among on children allows those wh vive to grow ow up to a II healthier ra hood and womanhood and i movement to save sa the babies hu bu come world world worldwide wide with the r remit several million now survive theof the of infancy who otherwise won t untimely graves ves A movement nt Ii i iii foot to in induce uce mothers to babies in natures nature's way instead of 1 sorting to the bottle bottIe and cows cow I L. L Carefully kept and analyzed stam show that a baby naturally S has many moro more chances of arriving manhood or womanhood than the tie tie-oa which have to feed from front a boM bt This movement will be b heard If at the me meeting hn of the congress There is a hope in the tho hearts f. f friends of ot the race that the c day 11 will come when the world L r much attention to the development t excellent family fatally strains as it St now d doto do- do to the development of good br ea I cattle and horses horus ana p s. s It Sr Lr that this will have to come through h a a. lon long process of til public sentiment 8 against the marri of ot the crimm criminally ally inclined the W we minded and the diseased Static S til of racial qualities will have ft 8 er erdeal n deal of influence upon the and the measure of t that at influence get et its share of attention Everybody who carries a life L Lance fri ance policy is is i interested in jn the tile I li tables uI upon on which life l based upton It t is never certain oi hf person or another Is s going t toldie die bit hi b it is always c certain t that at in i people in widely g a 1 fixed number of It fe will die in a year The life t the f I is an uncertain quantity wh the life of ot a mass of t them is em-is is dete date As the years go o. o by tie de t rate is cut ent down and the insurance n risi is proportion proportionately tely reduced Toe The ea 41 tables always are x I past experience and consequently a hi higher ber death death rate than now now b wJ Just now a new sot of for tor the population of ot the is bein being made and ute tIfe congress IS T hear 0 or of the progress pro ess of that in through Miles M. M Dawson an who is 5 en engaged a ld in the construction the tables Many other subjects of e CH will be discussed in prepare th pa papers pers and every ery con has been made in every overy part ot th world to the science of pu lic Ji rut healt lt statistics will be brought to ton and laid before the con congress Tb Th vast array of of other othe public h b health ir J formation which will b be brought before Obe bl I fore the congress con es will Be e r reprinted pr in i series serles of volumes and then will willbe he De d dl dir throughout the world Perhaps the tho one great r at tune will bo be that the co r iI will win no DhO have funds enon enough h to publish all t tb I transactions in each of the he three thre gre French h w an nl i world ton tongues tongues es-En es English I German German but but each paper will bo be in which i it i w wa I ed only in ill tho the ton tongue e delivered red I JI Tom Tomorrow J HYGIENE HYGINE AND sANrrA ON IV Mastering the tte Micro 4 |