(4) Causes of Death. The causes of death and the ages at death are usually collected together and tabulated in the following form: To those acquainted with the recent great advances in etiology the table has little commendable in either arrangement or classification. For example, neither phthisis nor cancer can properly be called constitutional; the former most decidedly has affinities with zymotic maladies, being caused by a definite parasite; tabes is produced by the same parasite; pneumonia, syphilis, and possibly tetanus, should be also classified among parasitic maladies. In a few years there will of necessity be a different and more scientific classification, but the subject is too large to be discussed here, and the table will do as well as any other for the purpose of exemplifying the usual methods of tabulating statistics. In extracting individual deaths from the returns it is convenient in the first place to denote them by single strokes, with a cross stroke for the fifth, thus 12 deaths from pneumonia of persons between 20 and 40 would be represented thus: NNII. In the final sheet these marks are, of course, exchanged for ordinary figures. It will also be found useful after entry of any death to put a pencil tick or cross opposite the entry in the return, otherwise mistakes in enumeration may occur. (5) Addresses-The Mortality Ledger. A mortality ledger is an essential for every district. A mortality ledger is a large bound volume, each page of which is similarly tabulated to the registrar's returns. To each street, village, or small definite locality is assigned one or several pages, in which the deaths of that particular locality are copied. On the top of the page is written clearly the name of the street or locality, and it is convenient to put also the character of the houses, the general nature of the inhabitants, and the actual or presumed population. From 25 to 30 deaths should fill a page, and every fifth line should be double, so that deaths can then be easily enumerated. The ledger is, of course, indexed. A properly kept mortality ledger is of the greatest use, for by its means the health officer is able at any moment to refer to the mortality statistics of the smallest hamlet, court, or street in his district. The following 1 For an essay at scientific classification the reader may consult Public Health, vol. ii. p. 289. |