Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 October 1907 — Importance of Records of Deaths and Births. [ARTICLE]

Importance of Records of Deaths and Births.

The vital-statistics Taw* passed by the last legulature will be put into force October 1, by the State Board of Health. This law requires doctors and inidwiles to re port all deaths, births and infee tious diseases they attend upon blanks supplied by the State Board, when no doctor or midwife is in attendance, then reports shall be made by the parents or householders.

These legal records are of the greatest importance to families and to the state. In hundreds of instances in the past, inheritances, insurances and pensions have been lost because no legal records existed of death or of oerth. In one in stance in Indiana au inheritance $12,000 reverted to the national treasury of Switzerland, because the doctor had not reported the birth of the person. This record would base proved the required relationship. Any family is likely at any time to need records of births and deaths, and all are therefore interested in haying the same reported and properly recorded. Be.-ides being of the utmost importance and value at unexpected times to families and individuals, these records are essential for the scientific control of sanitary affairsBoards of Health must know who is dying, where they are dying and and what they are dying of in order to intelligently conduct dis eases prevention work. This information is given by vital statistics. The State Beard of Health request all citizens to cooperate with physicians and health officers in this important work seeing to it that correct records are made of the deaths, births and contagions diseases occming in their families.