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which has been made and the problems which still
remain to be dealt with. There have been great improvements
in the methods of death certification during
recent years, but there is room for considerable
improvement yet before the death returns can be
regarded as a thoroughly satisfactory index of the
health of the people. The statement of the cause of
death is very defective in many instances, and vague
and probably inaccurate descriptions are frequently met
with. In many cases I believe it is the practice of
the Registrar-General to communicate with the Doctor
concerned with a view to getting fuller or more definite
information as to the cause of death, and it would be
a great advantage to the Medical Officers of Health if
this additional and more accurate information were also
furnished to them at the time. Even greater efficiency
would probably be achieved in death registration if its
local administration were made an integral part of the
Public Health Service.
A striking illustration of the foregoing remarks is
given by the death which was certified during the year
as "Heart failure, P.M." I do not know what action,
if any, was taken by the Registrar-General with regard
to this case, but feeling that any local classification
would be reduced to absurdity by such certification, I
wrote to the medical practitioner concerned. From his
reply it appeared that the actual causes of death were
syphilis, heart disease and bronchitis.
EXTRACTS FROM VITAL STATISTICS FOR
THE YEAR.
BIRTHS.
Males Females TOTAL Birth Rate
Legitimate 1,077 1,001
Illegitimate 39 20 2137 19.0