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9
Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1926.
This Act came into force on the 1st July, 1927.
Under the previous Births and Deaths Registration
Acts it was the duty of the registered medical practitioner
to give the certificate of the cause of death
to the relative or other responsible person, but Section
6 of the 1926 Act requires the doctor forthwith to
deliver the death certificate to the Registrar and to
give a written notice to the relative that he has signed
the death certificate. As the relatives may obtain a
copy of the death certificate from the Registrar the
doctor is liable to omit the original cause of death in
cases of syphilis and alcoholism where an accurate
statement would hurt the feelings of the relatives.
Provision is now made on the back of the new death
certificate for the doctor to indicate that he is in a
position to give the Registrar-General additional information,
such as the above, which may be useful
for statistical purposes.
Under the Births and Deaths Registration Acts,
1836-1901, it is the duty of the father or mother of
a live-born child, and failing them of certain other
persons, to inform the Registrar of the birth within
42 days of the date of birth, and the Registrar must
register the birth.
Under the old Acts neither the birth nor the death
of a still-born child was compulsory, but under Section
7 of the 1926 Act, registration of the birth of every
still-born child issuing from the mother after the 28th
week of pregnancy is required, and the relatives must
inform the Registrar that the still-birth has taken
place.
Under Section 5 of the Act it is not lawful for a
still-born child to be buried until either a certificate
from the Registrar or, if an inquest has been held, an
order from the Coroner has been delivered to the person
who has control of the burial ground.
Section 7 states that when a still-birth is registered
the relatives giving information must either :—