PRIZE ESSAY 
X 
ON 
I 
MEDICAL AND VITAL STATISTICS. 
BY 
4 
FRANKLIN B. HOUGH, M. D., 
OF LOWVILLE, N. Y., SUPERINTENDENT OF THE NEW YORK STATE 
CENSUS OF 1855 AND 1865. 
ALBANY: 
VAN BENTIIUYSEN & SONS' STEAM PRINTING HOUSE. 
1867. PRIZE ESSAY.* 
The sciences which come within the province of the medical 
profession, are founded upon the correct observation and careful 
generalization of facts. We notice certain circumstances of 
resemblance, which are essential and common, until, finding few 
or no exceptions, we obtain a law of nature, and, thenceforth, 
expect with confidence certain results as following their antece- 
dent causes. 
The accuracy of our predictions is in direct proportion with the 
extent and fullness of our observed data, and when we find no 
exceptions in the sequence of cause and effect, our faith becomes 
settled. But the order of events is often disturbed by influences 
and circumstances which may modify, accelerate or prevent the 
expected occurrence, and, hence, the necessity of cultivating a 
habit of constant careful observation, with the view of appreciat- 
ing the extent of these influences, and of judging of the result 
under their action. 
This habit of observation is susceptible of cultivation in a 
remarkable degree, by a systematic method of recording the 
incidents under consideration; for the memory cannot always be 
burdened, nor uniformly trusted with the details which are to be 
employed in our generalizations, and, when it becomes necessary 
to compare our own observations with those of others, a common 
* A prize of $100, offered by Dr. Thomas C. Brinsmade of Troy, in 1865, was awarded 
for this essay, at the annual meeting of the State Medical Society in February 1867. The 
conditions of the prize were stated as follows : 
"I will give $100 for the best essay on medical and vital statistics. The essay must be 
accompanied by a plan for making and tabulating hospital reports, records of private 
practice in medicine, surgery, and obstetrics, together with a draft of a law for the regis- 
tration of births, marriages and deaths. The prize to be awarded by the committee of the 
New York State Medical Society on prize essays; the essay to be placed in the hands of 
the committee, with the plans and drafts, on or before the 15th of December next." 
One essay was presented in 1866, byt as it did not comply with the conditions, no award 
was made, and the prize was continued another year. 4 
and mutually understood system of record becomes absolutely 
indispensable. 
This inductive method of reasoning, by which we ascend from 
details to generalities, is peculiarly applicable to the medical 
sciences. In the materia medica, we can determine nothing of 
the medicinal properties of a given substance before its trial, nor 
can we speak with certainty concerning its reliability as a remedial 
agent, until repeated and long continued experiments have tested 
its properties and confirmed our knowledge of its action. The 
application may be accidental at first, and the repetition of these 
chances may, perhaps, lead to somewhat definite conclusions with- 
out a sytematic course of observation, yet, order, method and a 
record of results, are obviously essential to valuable deductions 
from the facts under notice. 
Analogies will often assist the observer, yet they will some- 
times fail, and these exceptions impose additional obligations for 
care. For example; the seeds of umbelliferous plants growing in 
dry places, like the anise and caroway, are usually aromatic, and 
their essential oils are agreeable to the taste and useful for their 
medicinal properties; yet the Conium maculatum, whose habits of 
growth resemble these, is a marked exception to the rule. Most 
species of the Solanum bear a poisonous fruit, yet the tomato 
belongs to this genus, and is a common article of food. ' 
Thus constantly do we observe exceptions to our general rules, 
which can only be ascertained by the careful accumulation of 
observed facts. Even the best known structures in anatomy, the 
established method of surgery, and the most reliable maxims in 
the theory and practice of medicine, depend upon no preconceived 
theories, but upon the consoldidated experience of observers, and 
the general result of causes. 
We notice these effects in the changing conditions of disease, 
and by comparing circumstances and observing the influences 
which favor development, the changes in function or structure 
which attend its progress, and the results to which they tend, we 
may often, by timely precautions, prevent its attack or check and 
modify its action; and even when this control is beyond our power, 
we may at last but seldom fail of ministering some relief to pain, 
where we cannot reach the cause. 
As knowledge increases, new discoveries come to our aid, and 
such is the harmony of the sciences, that no new ray of truth is 
elicited from one, but it soon throws its direct or reflected beam 5 
upon all. Mathematical formulae may prescribe the shape of a lens 
having certain refractive properties which shall have the greatest 
microscopic power. The chemist produces the material of the 
required properties, and the artist gives the precise form, and by 
their united skill, we are enabled to study the elements of organic 
structure and the latent functions of animal life. 
Thus do these sciences, which at first thought might appear 
least connected with our profession, enable us to study the condi- 
tions of health and the action of disease; and the illustration might 
be extended to include the whole circle of scientific inquiry, and 
every branch of experimental research. 
The physician is peculiarly dependent upon correct observation, 
and careful induction for success; and in no department of human 
knowledge is there so constant a demand for thoughtful study and 
critical comparison, not only in the new cases that come under his 
notice, but from day to day, as each case under treatment, in its 
changing conditions, gives encouragement for hope or warning of 
danger. This daily application faithfully continued, leads to a 
habit of observation both agreeable and profitable, and as the 
accumulation of facts enlarges his knowledge, he reaps an ample 
reward in the growing and manifest success of his labors. 
We propose to consider how these observations may be im- 
proved to the greatest advantage by recording them, and to sug- 
gest some thoughts upon the best manner of keeping the records 
and of tabulating the results. 
The first and most essential feature of such a record should be, 
a comprehensive brevity, and a compactness and simplicity of 
arrangement which contains much in little space. It should be 
borne in mind from the outset, that statistical researches involve 
two distinct and separate operations : the record and the classifica- 
tion. The record should be made on the spot, or while the facts 
are all fresh in the memory. As it may often be required at a 
moment of haste, it should be brief and systematic, and as its first 
and most apparent use is to aid the memory with regard to a given 
case, it should be kept together as much as possible, and usually 
limited to a single page. The classification and generalization of 
facts would be left to a leisure hour, or the labors of some well 
instructed student or clerk. Any attempt to combine the two 
operations will be attended with loss of time, both in record and 6 
reference; and if undertaken, either in private or hospital practice, 
would probably be soon abandoned. 
In private practice, we would suggest as the most desirable 
form of record, a volume of small size (not larger than foolscap 
octavo), bound in flexible covers, and so arranged that each page 
should contain the record of a single case. The first page, serving 
as a title, should be partly printed, with a space for writing the 
name and residence of the owner, and the dates when besrun and 
finished. The book might contain from one to three hundred 
pages, on thin but good writing paper. Each page should bear a 
printed number, to facilitate reference, and should be printed as 
in the form annexed. The letters in brackets are placed simply 
for reference to the explanatory notes subjoined. The blank 
spaces should be ruled horizontally for convenience in writing, 
and the entries should if possible be always made in ink, for 
greater permanence. If the practice of the physician be chiefly 
limited to office consultation, the record may be kept in a book of 
larger page, with more convenience than in a portable volume. 7 
Form of a proposed Page of Record. 
3. 
(a) Name 
(5) Age . Civil condition. S . M , W 
(c) Occupation Place of Birth 
(d) Disease or Injury 
(e) Date of First visit 
(/) Previous duration of Illness 
(y) Treatment 
(A) Date of last visit 
(z) Result 
(#) Remarks 8 
(«) The patient's name should be written out sufficiently to 
identify the person, and to distinguish the sex. If a child or ser- 
vant, the name of parent or employer might be added in paren- 
thesis. 
(6) The age in years or months to be written in the first blank 
on this line. If months, the letter M should be appended. In 
children, the years and months might be indicated fractionally, as 
3|, In the blanks for "civil condition'' mark "1" after S. M. 
or W., according as the person is single, married or widowed. 
(c) Occupation.-This should be noted according to the circum- 
stances of the case. Be specific in this entry, and avoid all 
general terms, such as "mechanic," "dealer," &c. It is better to 
note precisely what is applicable, and it might be proper to add 
the initials of the company, firm or individual by whom the patient 
might be employed. In children, the term "scholar," "student," 
&c., might sometimes apply. In other cases it would be left 
blank. The "place of birth" should be as specific as practicable. 
If in the state where the record is made, it might be the name of 
the town, city or county. In general it would be better to name 
both town and state, or country, as "Bath, Eng.," "Charleston, S. 
C.," &c. 
(d) Disease or Injury.-Sufficient space should be allowed to 
note any complications that might exist, or if an injury to describe 
sufficiently the condition. 
(e) Date of First Visit.-The year being expressed on the title 
page, would not be needed. The month and day of month, and 
in some cases the hour of the visit should be noted. Instances 
might occur in which the hour would be of great importance, as 
in case of criminal poisoning or injury. For greater convenience, 
a common counting-house calendar for the current year might be 
printed on the lining paper of the cover. 
(/) Previous duration of Illness.-1This might be stated in 
years, months, days or hours as most appropriate. 
(y) Treatment.-This may be described briefly in such terms 
and with such abbreviations as will be perfectly understood. The 
dates of changes should be noted in their proper connection. In 
some cases the space allowed would be found insufficient, and to 
accommodate these, a few leaves of plain ruled paper might be 
Notes. 9 
bound in at the end of the volume, to 'which the record might be 
carried in particular instances requiring it. 
(Zt) Date of last Visit.-This should be the month and day. It 
might be convenient to add the day of the week. 
(«) llesult.-1This should be specified briefly as "cured," "im- 
proved," "sent to hospital," &c. If death terminates the case, 
note the day and hour. It would also be well to note the time 
and place of burial. 
(k) In this space record any peculiarity or incident which the 
case might suggest, or any note of a business character that might 
be desirable. The antecedent cause, or previous form of disease, 
might be noted in this connection. 
Obstetrical Record. 
The practitioner would derive great benefit from a special 
record of his obstetrical practice, as well on account of the gene- 
ralizations it might afford, as for future reference in fixing 
individual dates. For this purpose, we 'would suggest an ordinary 
foolscap folio on quarto blank book, ruled as in the form annexed, 
and to be ordinarily kept in the office desk. The table should 
extend across both pages, and embrace substantially the following 
data: 
(Left Hand Page.) 
(«) 
. o 
Name of Mother. 
& 
Residence. 
$ 
Age of Mo- 
ther. 
S' 
Number of 
Pregnancy. 
Duration of 
Pregnancy. 
s 
Hours in la- 
bor previ- 
ous. 
Hours in 
attendance. 
Day and 
hour of 
birth. 
Presenta- 
tion. 
(Right Hand Page.) 
Sex of 
child. 
Weight of 
child. 
Name afterwards given 
to child. 
Remarks. 
(0 
W 
w 
(O) 
Notes. 
(a.) This column should number continuously from the first, 
and. if, carried into another volume, should still be continued. 
It will facilitate reference, and be a matter of much convenience, 
as it will always exhibit the amount of experience in this depart- 
ment, at the date of each record. 
Art. 5. 10 
(A) The name of the mother should be so entered as to indicate 
also the husband, as " Sarah Smith, wife of John," or, if preferred, 
only the husband's name, with the prefix "Mrs." It would be 
still better if made to indicate, in brackets, the family name of the 
woman before her marriage, as "Sarah [Williams] Smith, wife of 
John." 
(c.) Residence. This, in a city, would be the street and num- 
ber. If in a rural district, the name of the town, neighborhood 
or village where the family reside. 
(cZ.) The age of the mother should be given in the nearest year 
that might express it. 
(e.) The number of the pregnancy should beentered, as " 1," " 2," 
&c., according as it might be with her the first, second, &c. All 
previous births, including those of still-born children, should be 
counted in making this entry. 
(/.) Duration of pregnancy in months. 
(^.) Hours in labor before the arrival of the physician. 
(7z.) Hours in attendance before the delivery. 
(7.) Day and hour of birth. The month and year should also 
be noted, either on the top of the page or across the page, at the 
end of the year's record, in a space kept for the purpose, as found 
most convenient. It would generally be better to rule a line 
across both pages at the end of every month's entries. 
(A?). Presentation. This might be abbreviated, as " v. to 1. " 
(vertex to left), or any well understood and specific, record. Pecu- 
liar cases should be more fully stated in the column of "Remarks." 
(I.} Sex of child. M. or F. for male or female. 
(m.) Weight of child. Always understood to be without 
including the weight of clothing, and if weighed after dressing, 
an allowance should be made for the weight of the dress. 
(n.) Name afterwards given to the child. This would often be 
left blank some days, weeks or months, and filled up afterwards 
at convenience. 
(o.) Under the head of " Remarks f should be noted any pecu- 
liarity which the case might present, or any unusual symptoms ot 
the mother. The occurrence of twins or monsters, the necessity 
of using instruments in delivery, &c., would here find their appro- 
priate record, and should occupy such space as might be necessary 
in a note on the margin, or in blank pages reserved towards the 
end of the book. 
The summary of a long course of practice recorded in this form 11 
could scarcely fail of presenting generalizations in the highest 
degree interesting to the practitioner and the profession, and could 
not fail of being a most valuable contribution to science. The 
blank would apply to special institutions for lying-in women, with 
such modifications relative to dates of admission, duration of resi- 
dence, &c., as the rules of the establishment might require. 
There are certain conveniences presented at these special institu- 
tions which are not readily afforded in private practice, and the 
record might include columns for noting the length of the funis, 
the weight of the placenta, and various measurements of the child, 
which would furnish materials for a most interesting class of 
results. 
Hospital Records. 
The facilities of a hospital admit of a more systematic record of 
cases than would be found convenient in private practice, and a full 
medical and surgical record, together with a thorough course of 
meteorological observation, should form an indispensable feature 
in the organization. To give these records that uniformity so 
essential to comparison, they should be made upon one settled 
plan, and as a rule, should aim at the most specific and concise 
statement of facts, in the most methodical and convenient order. 
The double purpose of present use and future generalization 
should here be always kept prominently in view and the maxim 
of statistics above stated, relative to the distinct and separate 
methods of record and classification, should here be carefully fol- 
lowed, excepting in hospitals devoted to some particular specialty, 
in which case, the arrangement in columns would be found proper. 
For general purposes, an ordinary foolscap page would generally 
be found most convenient. The title page should bear the name 
of the hospital, the dates of beginning and of ending of the records 
in the volume, and the name of the person by whom the record is 
kept, for we deem it an important matter that the duty of keeping 
it should be entrusted to some one responsible and capable person, 
who might assist in other departments, or be himself assisted, 
according to the extent of the establishment. 
All memoranda and prescriptions designed for record, should 
be handed to him, and his work should always be kept written up 
to date, and in condition for the easy preparation of such morning 
reports or other statements as the rules of the hospital might 
require. 12 
The labor of condensing and tabulating the general results of 
his record should be done by him or under his direction, and it is 
needless to add, he should be a man of medical education, neat and 
careful in his penmanship and habit of keeping the record, and 
otherwise fully competent for this important trust. 
The pages should be numbered and always indexed at the time 
of first entry. The blank spaces should be ruled for writing, and 
the printed portion might be in the form here annexed: 13 
Form of Hospital Record. 
Page 1. 
(a) No 
(5) Name 
(c) Age__Civil condition. S M . W Nativity 
(d) Occupation Home Residence 
(e) When Admitted. Year 186 month day hour 
(/) On whose application or order 
(7) Ward Bed 
(70 Disease or injury 
(z) Previous Duration of sickness, (on date of injury) 
(70 Treatment. 
(7) Remarks. 
(m) Discharged or died. Year month day hour_ 
(n) Result 14 
(a) The number should be continuous, from the opening of the 
hospital, or beginning of the record, and should be carried into 
the next volume when the one in use is full. Cases might occur 
in which a new number at the beginning of a new year or a new 
quarter would be preferable. This number would facilitate 
reference to any financial accounts that might be charged to the 
patient. 
(6) Name.-This to be given in full, or sufficiently to distinguish 
sex. Avoid all indefinite abbreviations. "J. Smith," is, for ex- 
ample, quite too vague a term to be reccognized. 
(c) Age.-The nearest year, or in children the year and fraction, 
as "36," "27," " 31," 2A-, &c." Civil condition, to be marked " 1 " 
after S. M. or W., according as the person is single, married or 
widowed. The nativity should be as specific as possible, and 
generally the town or city, and State or country, if known. 
(<Z) Occupation.-Should be give specifically, and it might be 
convenient to notice the street and number of his place of business. 
Indefinite terms, such as "mechanic," "clerk," &c., should be 
avoided. The "home residence" should specify street and num- 
ber. or town and county. 
(e) TFAen admitted.-In large hospitals the year might be 
printed in the blank, or given once for all on the title page. 
(/) On whose application or order.-Space should be allowed 
for noting any circumstances relative to his admission that might 
be deemed proper. 
(y) The ward and bed assigned to the patient by their number. 
(4) Disease or Injury.-The character of the infirmity which 
brought the patient into the hospital, should be here sufficiently 
described. 
(z) This entry should be specific as possible, and may vary from 
years to hours and minutes, according as the case may be chronic 
or recent. 
(A:) Treatment.-This should be brief but sufficient to enable 
those using the record to readily identify every portion. When 
changed, the date should be noted. 
(I) Remarks.-1These may be varied as the case requires. In 
peculiar cases, a full description of the disease, injury or treat- 
ment might be required, independently of the record. 
(pi) Discharged or died.-This should be noted exactly by 
Notes. 15 
crossing out with a pen one of these words, leaving the other to 
express the manner in which the patient's connection with the 
hospital ceased. 
(n) The manner of discharge should be stated in this connection. 
The time and place of burial, delivery of remains to friends &c., 
might here be appropriately noted. 
Practitioners, in hospitals, devoted to special branches of med- 
icine or surgery, would find advantage in keeping a special record, 
adapted to their particular wants. It should always be in the 
tabular form, analogous to the obstetrical record already noted, 
and would embrace name, age, sex, nationality, residence, civil 
condition, and dates of beginning and end of treatment, with such 
7 O o 7 
other information as the subject required. The table might extend 
across both pages of the volume. The cases should be numbered 
continuously from the first, for convenience of reference, and space 
should be provided for remarks upon any unusual circumstances 
which the case might present. 
The tabular method, with columns for each incident or fact 
having relation to the case, is particularly necessary in studying 
the effect of a new remedy, the result of a new process, or the 
character of a new disease that may come under notice. The 
numerical results of a course of observation thus obtained, will 
often acquire great significance when exhibited upon diagrams, 
in which horizontal distances represents periods of time, and ver- 
tical spaces, numbers or quantities, in the manner familiar to 
statiticians, and in constant use by the student in the physical 
sciences. 
The form of hospital record giving one page to a case, affords the 
opportunity for a most elaborate plan of classification, embracing 
every desirable circumstance connected with dates, locality, cause, 
influences and result. These can best be shown in a tabular 
form, which must be collected and classified by the ordinary 
methods of summary and tally. A brief allusion to the latter 
method, in its practical workings, may not be inappropriate in 
this connection. 
The tallies should be in groups of five, of which four are down 
strokes of the pen or pencil, and one across. The subdivisions of 
classification are written along the left hand margin of the sheet, 
and the tallies extend along the lines opposite. Where much of 
this work is to be done, paper ruled into small squares should be 16 
used, and along the top should be printed the arithmetical series 
with a common difference of 5, thus: 
Subject of Classification. 
5 
10 
15 
20 
25 
30 
35 
40 
January 
a 
a 
a 
a 
a 
\ 
February . * 
a 
a 
% 
March . _ _ 
% 
B 
a 
a 
a 
a 
a 
w 
April 
a 
a 
a 
a 
-X 
This arrangement saves the labor of counting up the tallies, and 
in the above sketch we observe by a glance at the top that the first 
line contains (36), the second (28), the third (37), and the 
fourth (30), without a moment's hesitation or a mental effort. 
Paper thus prepared for this labor-saving method, should be 
always kept on hand, and used where the amount of work is large. 
In the census and other extensive statistical labors, this is found 
indispensable. 
Method of Illustration by Diagram* 
Jan. 
Feb. 
Mar. 
April 
May 
June 
July 
Aug. 
Sept. 
Oct. 
Nov. 
Dec. 
2,000 
1,500 
1,000 
500 
♦The above diagram contains the lines representing the marriages in New York in 1855 
and 1865 by months, and shows an interesting parallelism in most of their course. 
Although the number for 1865, (referring to the year previous, and embracing the last 
year of the war), is less, throughout,-the motives or circumstances that determined the 
selection of months for marriage, Were the same in both periods. Customs vary in this 
regard, and in New England, the annual gathering of families on Thanksgiving day, car- 
ries the number of marriages in November, much above that of any other month in the 
year. 17 
In constructing these diagrams, but two variable elements can be 
represented, and these are usually time and quantity. The former 
is more conveniently represented by the vertical intervals, and the 
latter, by the horizontal spaces from the base upwards. It is 
often practicable to represent two different scales on the same 
table, in which one series of numbers is given upon each margin 
of the diagram, and sometimes an enlarged scale in one corner, 
will be useful in presenting minute variations which would be 
unobserved in the general scale. 
In plotting several lines which intersect, colored inks or 
variously dotted lines may be used of the same or different colors, 
but sufficiently different and distinct to prevent confusion. 
Instead of assierning; values according; to the distance of the 
lines from the bottom, comparative areas between lines may be 
adopted. In every event, it will facilitate reference by having 
every fifth or every tenth horizontal line heavier than the rest. 
Record of Wounds. 
In military hospitals, the treatment of wounds becomes a most 
important duty, and in preparing a form of record, compactness 
and brevity become of the first importance. To secure these con- 
ditions the following method was suggested by the writer of this 
essay, to the U. S. Sanitary Commission at Washington, early in 
1862. It was also brought to the notice of the surgeon-general of 
the United States, in the month of February, 1863, but in neither 
case did it receive favorable attention. 
It is now again submitted to the inspection of the medical pro- 
fession, and the writer is confident that it would be found, upon 
trial, a most comprehensive yet specific and valuable method of 
recording wounds and surgical operations. The occasion for its 
use, with us, in recording wounds received in battle, has happily 
passed away; yet it may still find its proper application in record- 
ing railroad and steamboat accidents, wounds inflicted by accident 
or with criminal intent, and generally in the various casualties 
which come daily under the notice of surgeons, and the treatment 
of hospitals. It is offered as a concise and practical form of record 
in all ordinary as well as extraordinary surgical practice, in which 
the seat of injury or of operation is external. 
We will first consider this method in its application to military 
practice, and then notice the modifications necessary to adapt it to 
a common surgical and hospital record. 
Art. 5. 18 
It is proposed that army surgeons, and officers in charge of 
burial parties, be furnished with a book, of size convenient for the 
pocket, bound in flexible covers, and made of thin but smooth and 
firm paper. Each leaf should be devoted to a single case, and 
both sides should be used. 19 
(First Page of each Leaf.) 
Minnie ball enters. 
Sabre cut. 
Amputation. 
Shell wound. 
Bullet enters. 
Exit of bullet. 
Ball : flesh wound. 
Joint opened by ball. 
Oblique fracture tibia. 
Flesh wound. 
Buck shot: flesh wound. 
Ball lodged between tarsal bones. 
Spent ball. Bones not fractured. 
Minnie ball enters : lodged 
in spine. 
Exit of ball. 
Buck shot. 
Bayonet. 
__ Shell wound grazed. 
Fragment of shell enters. 
Ball enters. 
Ball lodged. 
Crushed : amputated. 
Severe shell wound : amputated. 
Flesh wound: ball extracted. 
Ball lodged. 
Second metatarsal bone broken. 20 
(Second Page of each Leaf.) 
Battle, skirmish or other occasion when wounded 
Name _ 
Regiment > Company Rank_ 
Age When wounded 
Description of wound . 
Operation 
Operating surgeon 
Time of operation 
Location of Field Hospital 
Sent to Hospital. Date 
Conveyance. 
Remarks. 21 
The first page of each leaf should contain the engraved outlines 
of a nude human figure, in four positions, showing front, rear and 
side views, as shown on an accompanying page. On these figures 
the person keeping the record should mark the precise point of 
the wound, or if perforating the body or a member, the point of 
ingress and exit, using the figure most convenient, or, if necessary, 
two figures on the page for this purpose. The kind of weapon 
and the place and kind of operation should also be noted in the 
margin. On the back of the same leaf should be given the infor- 
mation above stated. If intended for use in a general hospital, 
the date of arrival, a record of the treatment and the result, with 
time and manner of discharge, should be noted, with any special 
data that might be desired. 
These books, which would be necessarily soiled and worn, 
should be carefully transcribed in duplicate, with the utmost 
attention to exactness, but on large and heavy sheets, which, being 
arranged in the order of regiments, alphabetically or otherwise, 
and substantially bound and lettered, with the name of the battle 
to which they related, should be placed in the archives of the 
medical department and in the pension office. Their utility as a 
matter of record, as a basis for the most comprehensive generali- 
zations, and as a safeguard against fraudulent applications for pen- 
sions, would have been incalculable. 
A modification of the second page, giving residence, (street and 
number if in a city), occupation and circumstances, would readily 
adapt it for the record of current hospital and surgical practice, 
and as such it is urgently recommended. 
We have already noticed a maxim, which should ever be borne 
in mind in obtaining medical and vital statistics, and have stated 
as a rule, that the record should be kept distinct from the classi- 
fication. Having noticed the prominent conditions which should 
control the former, we proceed to consider the methods of the 
latter. 
If we compare the record to the merchant's day-book, in which is 
noted down the current'transactions of his business, at the moment 
of their occurrence, the generalization tables would correspond with 
his ledger, in which the transactions of the year, and for each party 
on interest concerned, are concisely stated, and the general results 
ascertained. This labor may be reserved for a leisure day, or can 
be entrusted to other competent hands. It would form a most 
profitable exercise to the medical student, who was sufficiently 22 
advanced to do it justice, and when covering a wide range of ex- 
perience, could not fail of contributing to our positive knowledge 
in medical science. 
The form of tables adopted to this purpose will vary according 
to the views which govern their author. If he designs to study 
his facts, with reference to the influence of the seasons, he will ar- 
range his data by months. If in connection with atmospheric 
vicissitudes he will insert meteorological tables.; or if with refer- 
ence to percentages of population, he will arrange them only with 
official data of comparison. Thus, the influence of one disease 
upon another, and the effects of known or suspected causes, are 
ascertained by varied comparison, and may in some cases involve 
laborious computations, and elaborate research. 
It is strongly recommended that the physician should keep, or 
cause to be kept, by some competent person of his household who 
can give attention at stated hours to the task, a meteorological 
register, which should include at least columns for recording tern- 
perature, direction of the wind, aspect of the sky and direction of 
clouds, three times a day, and the fall of rain and snow in inches, 
measured soon after. Barometrical and hygrometrical observa- 
tions would enhance the value of the series, and afford useful data 
for deduction and comparison, and the still more delicate obser- 
vations upon electrical conditions, and the relative amount of 
ozone present in the atmosphere should engage attention in every 
well organized hospital, which has in view the most accurate ob- 
servations upon the influence of external conditions in the progress 
of disease. 
The conditions essential to health are often beyond the control 
of individual families, and the public interests demand the inter- 
position of law, and the watchful guardianship of intelligent and 
faithful authorities to prevent the origin and spread of disease. 
It is here the appropriate province of the medical profession to 
direct attention to the evils which threaten danger, and to suggest 
the proper measures for relief. Here the record of facts, and 
skillful deduction of inferences become of primary importance, as 
a guide to legislation, and aid in the administration in matters of 
sanitary reform. The maintenance of health is not less within the 
province of the physician's duties than restoration from disease, 
and his beneficent mission is never more nobly performed than in 
the successful accomplishment of this end. 23 
The registration of births, marriages and deaths by official 
authority, has for many years claimed the attention of enlightened 
governments, and the results have already enriched the treasury 
of knowledge by their ample contribution of facts. The deduc- 
tions from these records have formed the basis of computations 
for life insurance, and present the elements of nearly all we know 
with certainty concerning the probabilities of life at different ages, 
the origin, range and mortality of epidemics, and the influence of 
age, sex, locality and season upon disease. Through this means 
alone, we can obtain reliable data concerning these three important 
eras of human life, upon which so much happiness or misery 
depends, and in the knowledge of which we may derive many 
benefits. 
The first and most apparent advantage of an official registration 
of births, marriages and deaths, as a means of determining with 
legal certainty these events upon which the transfer and inherit- 
ance of property constantly depend, should alone have sufficient 
weight to demand attention, even were there no scientific deduc- 
tions to be drawn from the result. Yet unfortunately the State of 
New York has hitherto been without a registration system that 
could secure the attention and respect of officials ; and although a 
statute designed to secure this object has stood twenty years upon 
her statute book, its provisions have, during nearly the whole of 
this period, been contemptuously ignored. The demoralizing ten- 
dency of dead-letter laws should at least incite our Legislature to 
repeal an enactment which cannot be enforced. It is earnestly 
hoped that another and better system will be enacted and put in 
operation. We will notice some conditions that appear essential 
to success, and propose a form which we believe to be adapted to 
our wants, and within our means of attainment. 
The duties should not be too much subdivided, nor too much 
centralized. By the former, we run the risk of employing many 
who do not appreciate or understand their duties; and by the lat- 
ter, we impose a burden which cannot be borne. For example, 
the registration law of 1847, still nominally in existence, required 
school district clerks, or if none, one of the trustees of each school 
district, to ascertain and report annually, all births, marriages and 
deaths occurring in his district. This was decidedly too great an 
extenuation of the system.* Had the duty of recording these 
* A fatal error in this plan would be encountered in parts of districts where a school is 
maintained by two or more towns, and in which more or less territory would be liable to 24 
facts been left with the county clerk, the error should have been 
still greater on the other side. 
As our towns and counties arc organized, we believe the town 
clerk, and in cities a special officer should be selected to perforin 
this duty. The law of 1847 fixed no stated compensation for 
services, and left the payment to the chances and caprice of the 
town auditors. This was the second and perhaps the greatest 
error of the system, for we hold as a general rule, that men 
chosen to an office that depends upon fees for the emoluments, 
will render but few gratuitous services. The fee for registration 
should be fixed by law, and its amount in the aggregate should 
be sufficient to compensate the officer for his services in this 
department during the year. It should still, however, depend 
upon its fullness and accuracy, and the record should be annually 
examined by a competent authority with the view of ascertaining 
these facts. 
We regard the law of 1847 as defective in another important 
particular. It required the town clerks to furnish abstracts to the 
county clerks, and the latter to furnish a summary of their county 
by towns to the Secretary of State, by whom a general table was 
made up from the county footings and transmitted to the Leg- 
islature. 
Experience has shown that abstracts thus prepared by numerous 
persons having no communication with each other, and often with 
conflicting views of the construction to be placed upon doubtful 
points, cannot possess, when brought together, that uniformity 
which is essential to utility. Nor will the abstracts thus prepared 
afford those careful generalizations which modern science demands. 
The correct returns of deaths would embrace professional terms, 
which would embarrass a person not familiar with the subject. 
In short, we recognize but one method of generalization, which 
should be all done under one direction and in a central office. 
Here the labor can be done with uniformity, with greater economy, 
and with far better results. 
It will be observed that in the bill annexed, there is created a 
Special Department of Statistics, with a responsible head, who 
holds by official appointment of the Governor and Senate for a 
term of years, and independently of any office now existing. This 
escape record. In large villages and in cities having special school systems, the method 
now prescribed would prove wholly inapplicable, and the operation of the law becomes 
impossible. 25 
feature is regarded as of the first importance, for it is a matter of 
strong probability that a man of energy and executive talent 
would urge into operation a system with the success of which his 
own character and reputation was connected, and on which they 
depended. 
It happens to be within the knowledge of the writer of these 
pages, that the system of registration provided in the law of 1847, 
was placed in the hands of an indolent and inefficient clerk in the 
Secretary's office, who would seldom if ever look after delinquent 
returns, and was never so well pleased as when the county clerks 
failed to make their returns. 
The name of the superintendent should be associated with his 
office in such a manner, that he would feel the immediate depend- 
ance of his own reputation upon the success of his labors. With 
this, the original law would be made to succeed, or it would be 
modified by experience until it becomes a success. As an 
appendage to an existing office, and in charge of a clerk whose 
name is not associated publicly with it, it never can succeed. 
The essential ideas of the bill proposed are, a central and 
responsible control-a local registration in every city and town- 
a sufficient compensation by fees (and not salaries)-ample penal- 
ties, in part payable to the person who is required to prosecute 
and the remainder to aid in carrying on the registration-full re- 
ports and the original certificates for the central office-their pre- 
servation and accessability for judicial purposes, and an annual 
summary to the legislature. 
The metropolitan district is excepted from the operations of 
the proposed law, because already provided with an efficient 
organization adequate for the purpose, and promising ultimately 
complete success. This system is made tributary to the central 
office, and subject to its control for the purpose of securing 
uniformity. The expenses of fees and records are assigned 
to the cities and towns, but all blanks are provided by the State, 
and will therefore be uniform. The suljects of record are speci- 
fied, but with power with the superintendent to modify and 
extend the details, and this reservation is ample to secure all 
records that can be reached. For example: there will be seen 
nothing in the act regarding the report of still born births, yet 
such a measure was under consideration in framing the bill, yet 
from its novelty in the popular idea of statistics its operation was 
concealed among the latent powers of the general office. 
Art. 5. 26 
The simple fact that such and such requirements are made a 
law, will, when often and properly presented, at length become 
impressed upon a community, until acquiescence becomes a matter 
of course. The public would, under an efficient direction, become 
well informed of the purposes and requirements of a registration 
system, and gradually become obedient to its provisions, and sen- 
sensible of its conveniences. 
The central office, in the bill proposed, has the sole power of 
furnishing certified copies of the records of which alone it holds 
the original certificates. A fee is attached to the certified copies 
which may be required, and the proceeds arc turned into the State 
treasury. It is not improbable that these fees -would in a few 
years become an important item, and do much towards defraying 
the cost of maintenance, if they did not render it self-sustaining. 
These certificates would be needed in courts, and after a certain lapse 
of time might be made an essential link in the chain of evidence 
to prove the validity of bequests, the legality of marriages, and 
whatever else depends upon the legal rights of natural heirs. 
The code Napoleon, has long since given a vigilant and effective 
system of this kind to France, and the principle under some form 
has been woven into the policy of most enlightened governments 
in Europe. It is to be hoped that the several States of the 
American union, and the State of New York in particular may at 
no distant day realize the benefits of the system, and that by the 
aids to our knowledge of vital statistics, which it will unfold, the 
world will be benefited, and human life prolonged by the dis- 
covery of the causes which tend to shorten it. 27 
[Form of a Bill recommended.] 
AN ACT for the Registration of Births, Mar- 
riages and Deaths. 
The. People of the State of New York, represented in 
Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: 
Section 1. There shall hereafter be maintained a re- 
gistration of births, marriages and deaths, in the several 
towns and cities of this State; and to secure this object, 
there is hereby created a department, which shall be 
known as the Department of Statistics. 
Department of 
Statistics crea- 
ted. 
§ 2. Within one month after the passage of this act,; 
and every three years thereafter, the Governor, with the 
advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint a proper 
person to have charge of this department, who shall be 
known as the Superintendent of Statistics. He shall re-i 
ceive a salary of dollars, payable quarterly, 
and shall have an office in such building belonging to 
the State, as the trustees of the capitol may assign him. 
Superintendent of 
Statistics. 
His salary and 
office. 
§ 3. The Superintendent of Statistics shall prepare a 
seal, and after a description and impression of this seal 
shall have been duly filed in the Secretary's office, it 
shall be received in courts as evidence of the authenti- 
city of any paper to which it may be attached, in the 
same manner and to the same extent as other official 
seals of State departments. 
Seal. 
§ 4. The common council of* each city in this State, 
excepting the cities of New York and Brooklyn, within 
one month after the passage of this act, and every three 
years thereafter, shall appoint a proper person to per- 
form the duties required by this act, who shall be called 
the City Registrar of births, marriages and deaths. He 
City Registrars of 
Births, Marri- 
ages & Deaths. 28 
shall keep an office, and receive such compensation for 
his services as are hereinafter provided. 
Town Clerks' to 
act as Regis- 
trars. 
§ 5. The town clerks of the several towns of this 
State are hereby required to perform the duties directed 
by this act in their respective towns, and shall receive 
such compensation therefor as is hereinafter provided. 
§ 6. The Superintendent of Statistics shall, as soon as 
practicable, prepare and forward to the several county 
clerks of this State, proper blank forms for certificates 
of marriages and deaths, together with such instructions 
as he may deem necessary, which said blanks and in- 
structions shall be immediately forwarded by them to 
the several town clerks and city registrars of their re- 
spective counties. 
Blanks to be pre- 
pared by Su- 
perintendent of 
Statistics. 
§ 7. It shall be the duty of the several town clerks 
and city registrars, upon receiving such blank forms and 
instructions, to thenceforth record all births, marriages 
and deaths, that may occur in their respective towns or 
cities, in such manner as the Superintendent of Statistics 
may direct. 
Births, Deaths 
and Marriages 
to be recorded. 
Duty of the head 
of a family on 
occasion of a 
birth. 
§ 8. It is hereby declared the duty of the head of 
every family in which a birth may occur, within ten 
days thereafter, to report the same to the town clerk or 
city registrar of the town or city in which he may reside, 
under a penalty of ten dollars. This penalty shall be 
recovered by the town clerk or city registrar, before 
any magistrate or court having jurisdiction in cases of 
fines and penalties, as now provided by law. One-half 
of this fine shall be paid to the town clerk or city re- 
oistrar, at whose instance the suit was brought, and the 
remainder shall be paid into the county treasury. 
Penalty for not 
reporting births. 
Physicians and 
Midwives to 
keep a Regis- 
ter. 
§ 9. It shall be the duty of every physician and of 
every midwife, professionally attending at a birth, to 
keep a record of the same, which record shall embrace 
the names of the parents, their ages, color, and place of 
residence (if in a city, the street and number'), the date 29 
of birth, the sex ; and, where this is practicable, the 
name afterwards given to the child. This record shall 
be shown, upon application, to the town clerk or city 
registrar, to enable him to perfect the record required 
in the next section of this act. 
Register to be 
shown to Town 
Clerks and City 
Registrars. 
§ 10. It shall be the duty of the several town clerks 
and city registrars, in case of failure to report by the 
head of the family, as above provided, to ascertain from 
the records of physicians and midwives, and from such 
direct inquiries as he may be able to make ; and it is 
hereby declared his duty to record in a book to be pro- 
vided for the purpose, the following facts concerning 
every birth that may occur in their respective towns and 
cities, namely : The names, ages and nationality or birth- 
place of both parents; the residence of the family, and if 
in a city or village, the name of the street and number 
of the dwelling ; the occupation of the head of the 
family ; the time of birth, sex and name of the child, 
and such other facts as the Superintendent of Statistics 
may prescribe. He shall also note in his record the 
date on which it is made, and the name of the person 
from whom the information is received. 
Town Clerks and 
City Registrars 
to obtain Sta- 
tisticts of births 
if not reported. 
Facts to be as- 
certained con- 
cerning Births. 
Date of report 
and name of 
persons giving 
information. 
§ 11. For every record of a birth, made upon the 
report of the head of a family, the town clerk and city 
registrars shall be entitled to receive the sum of twenty- 
five cents, and for every record made upon his own 
inquiry, the sum of fifty cents, which shall be audited 
and paid in the same manner as other town and city ex- 
penses, by the town or city in which the births may 
have occurred. The record of births shall be submitted 
to the auditing board for examination, whenever the 
o ' 
claims herein allowed are presented. 
r^ord- 
Record to be sub- 
mitted to town 
or city auditing 
Board. 
§ 12. It shall be the duty of every clergyman or civil 
officer before whom a marriage is solemnized, and of 
every clerk of Societies of Friends in whose presence 
a marriage is declared, to furnish to the bridegroom a 
Duty of clergy- 
men and civil 
officers in case 
of Marriages. 30 
certificate of such marriage, in which shall be stated 
the full names of the husband and wife, the age, color, 
place of birth and previous civil condition of each, 
which said certificate shall be signed by the person giv- 
ing the same (specifying the capacity in which he acts), 
and shall be dated with the date of the marriage and 
signed by two witnesses. For this certificate, the cler- 
gyman, civil officer or clerk shall be entitled to receive 
one dollar from the party to whom the same shall be 
delivered. 
Fee for reporting 
Marriages. 
Duplicate certifi- 
cates of Mam- 
ages to be fi'ed 
with Town 
^straJs.01^ 
§ 13. A duplicate copy of the certificate shall be 
prepared and signed at the same time and place, and in 
the same manner as above required, which said dupli- 
cate shall within ten days after the marriage be filed in 
the office of the town clerk or city registrar, by the 
clergyman, civil officer or clerk by whom it is prepared, 
under a penalty of twenty-five dollars for each case of 
neglect, which penalty shall be sued and collected in 
the same manner as provided in the eighth section of 
this act. Ten dollars of the penalty shall belong to 
the town clerk or city registrar at whose instance it is 
collected, and the remainder shall be paid into the 
county treasury. 
Penalties for neg- 
lect. 
Certificates to be 
endorsed and 
recorded. 
§ 14. The town clerks and city registrars upon receiv- 
ing said certificates of marriage, shall indorse thereon 
the date of receipt and the name of the person by whom 
they are delivered. He shall record the information 
contained in the said certificates and the indorsement in 
a book to be provided for the purpose, and in such form 
as the superintendent of statistics may direct, and for 
every such record he shall be entitled to the sum of 
twenty-five cents, to be paid by the city or town as other 
city and town expenses are now paid. 
Fee for record- 
ing. 
Towncierksand 
City Registrars 
to report them- 
selves, in case 
ot default. 
§ 15. In case of failure to report as provided in the 
thirteenth section of this act, it shall be the duty of 
7 •' 
town clerks and city registrars to ascertain by 31 
inquiry, within one month, and to record all marriages 
which may have occurred in their respective towns and 
cities. They shall also fill out, according to the best 
information they can obtain, one of the certificates men- 
tioned in the twelfth and thirteenth sections of this act, 
which said certificate he shall sign and indorse with the 
reasons which made it necessary, and he shall file the 
same with the other certificates reported to him by 
clergymen, civil officers and clerks, under the thirteenth 
section of this act. He shall also record these certifi- 
cates thus prepared by himself, in the record of mar- 
riages kept by him. For every such certificate pre- 
pared and recorded by him, the town clerks and city 
registrars shall be entitled to the sum of fifty cents, to 
be paid as other town and city expenses are now paid. 
Record of Marri- 
age certificates 
and fees there 
for. 
§ 16. It shall be the duty of every physician attend- 
ing upon a case of sickness or injury that may result in 
death, and of every coroner who may be called upon 
to inquire into a cause of death, to furnish before 
burial to the undertaker or person having charge of 
the burial, a certificate duly signed by himself, in his 
proper name, and specifying the capacity in which he 
acts. This certificate shall contain the name of the1 
deceased, the sex, color, age, time and cause of death, 
duration of sickness, place of birth, occupation and 
civil condition. If not the head of a family, it shall 
mention the name of such head. It shall also state the 
residence, and if in a city, the name of the street and 
number of the dwelling where the death occurred. 
The superintendent of statistics shall determine the 
form of the certificate, and may, at his discretion, re- 
quire other inquiries to be answered therein. 
Deaths. 
Duties of Physi 
cians and Coro 
ners. 
Statistics to be 
recorded. 
§ 17. It shall be the duty of the person acting as 
undertaker, or having charge of a burial, within twenty- 
four hours after receiving from the physician or coroner 
the certificate mentioned in the preceding section of this 
act, to add thereto, over his own proper signature, a 
Duties of under- 32 
Certificates ofthe 
time and place 
of burial. 
; certificate of the time and place of burial; and within 
five days after receiving the same, to file said certificate 
in the office of the town clerk or city registrar of the 
town or city in which the death shall have occurred. 
§ 18. It shall be the duty of every commander of a 
vessel, within twenty-four hours after his arrival at any 
port in this State, to report concerning every death 
which may have occurred on board his vessel at seaj or 
on the frontier lakes, during the voyage just ended. 
This report shall embrace as far as possible the infor- 
mation specified in the sixteenth section of this act. It 
shall also contain the name of the vessel, and the na- 
tionality of her register. This report shall be made, if 
in the port of New Yoik, to the Metropolitan Board of 
Health, and if elsewhere, to the office of the town clerk 
or city registrar where the vessel may arrive. 
Reports of deaths 
on board of ves- 
sels. 
To whom these 
reports are to 
be made. 
§ 19. It shall be the duty of the keepers of prisons, 
and superintendents of asylums and hospitals, to report 
within twenty-four hours, to the town clerks or city 
registrars of their respective localities, all births and 
deaths occurring in their establishments, with the details 
mentioned in the tenth and sixteenth sections of this act. 
Keepers of Pri- 
sons, Asylumns 
and Hospitals 
to report d'ths. 
Fees for report- 
ing Deaths. 
§ 20. For every certificate of a death, the physician 
or coroner preparing the same shall be entitled to a fee 
of fifty cents, to be paid by the city or town in which 
the death occurred. For every neglect to report, they 
shall be liable to a penalty of twenty-five dollars, to be 
sued, collected and applied as provided in the thirteenth 
section of this act. 
Penalties for fail- 
ure to report 
deaths on board 
vessels. 
§ 21. The masters of vessels and the keepers of pri- 
3 , 1 1 
sons asylums and hospitals, shall be liable to a fine of 
v x 
twenty-five dollars for every neglect to report, as re- 
quired in the eighteenth and nineteenth sections of this 
act, which said penalties shall be collected and applied 
as provided in the last preceding section. 33 
§ 22. In every case of death in which no physician or 
coroner has attended, or where the physician or coroner 
shall have neglected to furnish the certificate required 
in the sixteenth section of this act, it shall be the duty 
of the undertaker, or other person having charge of the 
funeral, to prepare himself a certificate, containing the 
information above required, and the certificate of the 
time and place of burial, together with the reasons for 
his making such report. For receiving and transmitting 
a physician's or coroner's report, and adding thereto his 
certificate of time and place of burial, the undertaker 
or other person thus serving, shall be entitled to the 
sum of twenty-five cents, and for every certificate pre- 
pared wholly by himself, the sum of fifty cents, to be 
paid by the town or city in which such death may have 
occurred. For every neglect to transmit, or to prepare 
and transmit, a certificate as hereinbefore required, the 
undertaker, or other person having charge of a funeral, 
shall forfeit and pay the sum of twenty-five dollars, to 
be sued, collected and applied as provided in the thir- 
teenth section of this act. 
Undertakers re- 
quired to make 
inquiries con- 
cerning deaths 
not reported to 
them. 
Fees for record- 
ing deaths. 
Penalties of Un- 
dertakers for 
failure to re- 
port. 
§ 23. It shall be the duty of the several town clerks 
and city registrars, to prepare and file in their respec- 
tive offices certificates of every death that may occur 
within their respective towns and cities, and not re- 
ported as hereinbefore required. Such certificates shall 
embrace the information specified in the sixteenth sec- 
tion of this act, together with the time and place of 
burial and the reasons for his preparing the report, and 
for every case of death thus ascertained and reported, 
the said town clerks and city registrars shall receive 
the sum of fifty cents. 
Town Clerks and 
City Registrars 
to make reports 
upon their own 
inquiry in cer- 
tain cases. 
Fees for such re- 
ports. 
§ 24. The town clerks and city registrars shall, with- 
out delay, record and index all returns of deaths made 
as hereinbefore provided, in books suitably arranged 
for this purpose. The date of the receipt of certificates 
of deaths and the names of the persons from whom 
Deaths to be re- 
corded. 
Art. 5. 34 
received, shall be indorsed upon said certificates and 
recorded in his book. 
Fees for record- 
ing or indexing. 
$ 25. For recording and indexing every certificate of 
s O © v 
a marriage or a death, the town clerks and city regis. 
trars shall be entitled to the sum of twenty-five cents, 
to be paid by the city or town as other city or town 
expenses are now paid. 
Penalties for fail- 
ure to record 
Births, Marri- 
ages & Deaths. 
§ 26. For every failure to ascertain and record births, 
marriages and deaths, the town clerk or city registrar 
so neglecting or refusing to act, shall forfeit the sum of 
twenty-five dollars, to be collected in a suit by the dis- 
trict attorney of the county in which he resides, and 
paid into the county treasury. 
Judges to charge 
Grand Juries. 
§ 27. It shall be the duty of judges in their charge 
to grand juries to instruct said juries to make inquiries 
into cases of neglect of town clerks and city registrars, 
in the performance of duties required in this act, and 
to present for trial all such as may appear guilty of such 
neglect. 
Reports to be 
s. made annually 
• to the State Su- 
perintendent of 
Statistics. 
§ 28. The town clerks and city registrars, shall within 
ten days after the beginning of each civil year, transmit 
to the county clerks a copy of their several records of 
births, and the original certificates of marriages and 
deaths filed in their office during the preceding year, 
and shall accompany the same with a statement of the 
number of certificates of each kind thus forwarded. 
They shall also prepare an index to their several volumes 
of records. 
Duties of county 
Clerks. 
& 29. The several county clerks, shall on or before 
5 v 
the first day of February of each year, transmit to the 
Superintendent of Statistics, the returns received from 
town clerks and city registrars for the preceding year, 
and shall accompany such returns with the names and 
address of such town clerks and city registrars as may 35 
have failed to report. For receiving and transmitting 
blanks and returns, the several county clerks shall be 
allowed such compensation as the board of supervisors 
shall deem just, which shall be paid as other county 
expenses. 
Compensation of 
County Clerks. 
§ 30. The board of supervisors in the several counties 
shall annually apply the moneys collected as penalties 
and deposited in the county treasury, towards defraying 
the expenses incurred under this act, in the several 
towns where the same shall have been collected. 
Moneys arising 
from fines to be 
spent in paying 
fees. 
§ 31. The town clerks and city registrars shall furnish 
blanks to be provided by the Superintendent of Statis- 
tics, to such clergymen, civil officers clerks, physicians, 
coroners, undertakers, and other persons as may have 
occasion for their use. 
Blanks to be kept 
and furnished 
upon applica- 
tion. 
§ 32. The Superintendent of Statistics shall acknowl- 
edge by mail, to the several town clerks and city regis- 
trars, the receipt of their annual returns, stating therein 
the number of births, marriages and deaths reported by 
each. This receipt of the Superintendent of Statistics 
shall be a voucher for the further payment of ten cents 
for each birth, marriage and death reported by the sev- 
eral town clerks and city registrars, which additional 
sum is intended as a compensation for the labor of pre- 
paring and reporting for the year, and shall be paid by 
the town or city, as other town and city expenses are 
now paid. 
. Receipts of State 
Superintendent 
to entitle Clerks 
and Registrars 
to further com- 
L pensation. 
& 33. The Superintendent of Statistics shall have 
5 x 
power to prescribe the form in which records of births, 
marriages and deaths shall be made by the Bureau of 
Records and Vital Statistics of the Metropolitan Board of 
Health, and a transcript of such record shall be furnished 
annually for the statistical department hereby created; 
but with this exception th£ present act shall not apply 
to that portion of the State, now within the jurisdiction 
Bureau of Re- 
cords of the Me- 
tropolitan Board 
of Health. 36 
City ofNew York 
otherwise ex- 
cepted. 
of the said Board of Health, provided, however, that 
the reports of masters of vessels, shall be made as re- 
quired in the eighteenth section. The expense of making 
the returns required in this section shall be defrayed by 
the cities of New York and Brooklyn, and by the sev- 
eral towns embraced in the Metropolitan police district, 
in proportion to the number reported from each. 
Annual Report of 
State Superin- 
tendent of Sta- 
tistics. 
§ 34. The Superintendent of Statistics shall report 
annually to the Legislature, within ten days after the 
beginning of its session, a printed statement of the 
births, marriages and deaths returned to him by the sev- 
eral town clerks and city registrars, and by the Bureau 
of Records of the Metropolitan Board of Health, during 
the preceding year, together with such statistical sum- 
maries and deductions as he may deem proper. 
Original Returns 
to be bound for 
preservation. 
§ 35. The Superintendent of Statistics shall cause the 
original returns of births, and certificates of marriages 
and deaths, to be bound, for preservation in his office, 
and shall have power to furnish copies of any record in 
his office, to be made and certified, over his signature 
and seal. Copies thus authenticated may be used as 
presumptive evidence of the facts therein stated, before 
any court of this State. A fee of one dollar shall be 
collected for each certified copy furnished by the Super- 
intendent of Statistics, which fee shall be paid into the 
State treasury. A fee of twenty-five cents shall also be 
charged for search in the indexes, for every year 
embraced in the search, which fee shall also be paid 
into the State treasury. 
Certified copies 
to be furnished 
and the fees to 
be paid into the 
State Treasu- 
ry. 
cierks to be ai- 
lowed. 
$36. The Superintendent of Statistics shall be al- 
5 * 
lowed the necessary clerks, not exceeding two, and such 
expenses for printing, postage, express charges, and 
incidental expenses as may be necessary for the proper 
discharge of his duties. 
census duties 
transferred to 
cords. ' 
$ 37. The duties now required by law to be per- 
x 1 
^orme(^ by the Secretary of Statq, with regard to the 
State census, shall hereafter be performed by the Super- 37 
intendent of Statistics, and the records relating to the 
census now in the Secretary's office shall be transferred 
to the department hereby created. 
§ 38. The Superintendent of Statistics shall perform 
such other statistical labors as the Legislature may from 
time to time require. 
Other statistical 
labor may be 
required. 
§ 39. The act entitled "An act providing for the 
registry of births, deaths and marriages," passed April 
28, 1847, is hereby repealed. 
Act of 1847 re 
pealed. 
§ 40. This act shall take effect immediately. 
This act to take 
effect on its 
passage.