VITAL STATISTICS OF ILLINOIS, 1881-1884. IN the Fifth Annual Report of the STATE BOARD OF HEALTHbeing for the year ended December 31, 1882-it was stated that "returns of deaths for 1881 have been received from many of the counties and are now being tabulated." A form of a Condensed Return of Deaths, to be used by the county clerks, had been prepared and distributed, together with a pamphlet of instructions and classified and alphabetical lists of Causes of Death (with their synonyms and equivalents), by which it was intended to secure all the essential facts from the Physician's Certificate of the cause of death required, by Section 8 of the State-Board-of-Health Act, to be made to the county clerk. This form is the complement of the Condensed Return of Births previously prepared and furnished. Various causes have contributed to render the results of these attempts to secure the proper registration of births, deaths and marriages in Illinois less satisfactory and complete than is desired. The provisions of the Act relating to this subject need modification, but thus far it has not been practicable to secure such modification. It is probable that the neeessary changes and revision would have been made by the last General Assembly had it not been for the peculiar character of the session. Many of the members of both houses had become interested through the representations of the BOARD, and an amendatory bill was passed by the Senate and was on its third reading in the House, when the session adjourned. Under the present Act some of the county commissioners fail to make any provision for efficiently carrying out the spirit and intent of the law, and others only inadequately provide for this purpose. The BOARD itself has been unable to give the matter the necessary time and attention; and this enactment has proved no exception to the rule that laws will not execute themselves, but require the constant vigilance and effort of some interested authority. Heretofore, want of means and pressing demands for its action in other directions have prevented the BOARD from securing such measure of successful results as might otherwise have been possible. To the foregoing causes, and in some degree dependent upon them, must be added the failure of physicians and accoucheurs to promptly furnish the certificates required. These certificates are, of course, the basis of the returns to be made by the county clerk; and until it comes to be regarded as an unprofessional and dishonorable action for a practitioner to violate the law upon this subject-as is the violation of any other legal requirement so importantly affecting the public interests-the vital statistics of the State must be defective and their value be impaired. Notwithstanding these serious impediments, much educational work has been done and the foundation has thereby been laid for a gradually-improving system of vital registration. With the means now at the command of the BOARD, it will be possible to devote more attention to the enforcement of the law as it stands, and there is good reason for confidently expecting the necessary legislation for its amendment at the next session. Under these circumstances it has been deemed advisable to utilize, as far as possible, the returns thus far received, with a view, mainly, to showing what may be done and for such instructional advantages as may be derived from a study of the tabulations. OWING to the various causes above specified, returns of births are wanting from 8 counties in 1881, from 17 in 1882, from 19 in 1883, and from 13 in 1884; returns of deaths are wanting from 10 counties in 1881, from 25 each in 1882 and 1883, and from 17 in 1834. Returns of marriages have been received from all the counties for the four years enumerated. The following aggregate of deaths show the extent of the deficiencies: In 1881 the total number of deaths reported from 92 countiesaggregate population, 2,800,000-was 30,631, giving an annual death rate of 10.94 per thousand.* In 1882 there were 23,068 deaths reported from 77 counties-aggregate population, 2,500,000-a death-rate of 9.20 per thousand. In 1883 the same number of counties, with an aggregate population of 2,520,000, reported 21,520 deaths-a mortality rate of 8.51 per thousand. In 1884 there were 22,342 deaths reported from 85 counties, having an aggregate population of 2,583,000, the death-rate being 8.65 per thousand. If Cook county be excluded from the above, the results would be 1881. 1882 1883. 1884. .91 counties report 15, 759 deaths: mortality 8.09 per thousand. .76 counties report 8,625 deaths: mortality 4.44 per thousand. ..76 counties report 8,222 deaths: mortality 4 31 per thousand. .84 counties report 7,675 deaths: mortality 4.03 per thousand. *The population for each of these years is based on the school census of 1882 and of 1884-comparing the number of persons under 21 years of age, as ascertained by this census, with the proportion of such persons to the total population, as shown by the United States census of 1880. This mode of computation gives the following results: |