Of these, in Hartford County were Granby and Wethersfield. In New Haven County were Bethany, Cheshire, Madison, Milford, North Branford, Orange, Oxford, Prospect, Southbury and Woodbridge.

In New London County, Colchester, East Lyme, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Montville and Salem.

In Fairfield County, Darien, Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Newtown, Sherman, Stratford, Trumbull, Weston and Wilton.

In Windham County, Ashford, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Plainfield, Scotland, Sterling and Woodstock.

In Litchfield County, Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Cornwall, Plymouth and Sharon.

In Middlesex County, Clinton, Killingworth and Saybrook. In Tolland County, Tolland, Andover, Bolton and Mansfield. The total excess of deaths over births in the above towns was 365, which were distributed through the State as follows: In Hartford Co., 12; New Haven Co., 79; New London Co., 51; Fairfield Co., 95; Windham Co., 60; Litchfield Co., 19; Middlesex Co., 32; and Tolland Co., 17. Total, 365.

The registrar of the town of Prospect reported that no birth occurred within its limits during the year.

There were nine towns in the State in which the number of births and deaths were equal. Hence the natural increment of population by excess of births over deaths, of 4,198, occurred wholly in 108 of the towns of the State.

There were, by the estimated population, viz.: 727,276,22.8 births to the 1,000.

7.9 marriages to the 1,000.

17 deaths to the 1,000.

5.7 excess of births over deaths to the 1,000.

The daily average movement of the population was:

Daily average of births-male, 23.5; females, 21.6. Total, 45.4.

The births, marriages and deaths were more numerous than in any previous year. This would be the expected and natural result of an increase of over 10,000 inhabitants, but it is probable that although the rate per 1,000 of the population of each of these events was a little greater than in the previous year, it is in part to be attributed to more complete registration than be

fore. The renewed attention to registration and its importance, caused by the recent legislation, has unquestionably not only made the returns of death complete in many of the towns, and nearly so in all of them, but it has also had a positive effect upon the returns of births and marriages, bringing them in more promptly and fully. Hence while the death rate for 1887 is greater than for the previous year, it does not necessarily imply that the health of the State was in a worse condition, but rather that it was greater because the deaths were more completely registered. Comparisons in this regard in future will be altogether more reliable than in the past.

Systematic and full enquiry of the registrars throughout the State gives evidence that the new laws intended to promote more perfect registration are working as satisfactorily as could be expected. The positive improvement in registration, which has resulted, is the best proof of their value, and justification of their enforcement. The brief experience in their operation since June 1st teaches that in a few points they may be modified to lessen in a considerable degree the objections which have been made to them, without injury to the public service. This subject will be considered more at length in another part of this report.

With the purpose of ascertaining as nearly as possible the measure of success accomplished by the methods of registration now in use, the Secretary caused the following circular of inquiry to be issued to every registrar in the State :

Το

SECRETARY'S OFFICE.

NEW HAVEN, Conn., May

1888.

----9

Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths, of the town of

DEAR SIR:-Will you kindly give me information in regard to the practical working of the Laws of Registration in your town, on the following points :

1. Do the physicians and midwives make prompt returns of births on or before the seventh day of each month, for the month preceding? 2. To what extent are the certificates, when returned, complete as regards the particulars required by law?

3. Do you, as a part of your official duty, make any periodical and systematic efforts to supply the defects, as the law provides? (Gen. Statutes, Sec. 101.)

4. In what proportion is the NAME of the infant wanting on the Certificates of Birth?

5. In your judgment, what proportion of births, occurring in your town, fail to be recorded?

6. Do you make any objection when defective certificates are returned to you, and especially when the defects are obviously due to carelessness or indifference? or do you not examine them until you record them? 7. Are the Marriage Certificates returned promptly as the law requires? 8. Do Undertakers, Sextons and others uniformly observe the law in regard to permits for burial?

9. What complaints do you hear about the law requiring permits? and what in your judgment are the practical objections to it, if any? 10. Can you suggest any amendments to it?

11. Do the Selectmen of your town require you to certify that the bills presented by physicians, midwives, etc., for returning certificates are correct, and that they have been returned as the law directs before they pay them?

As being charged with the Superintendence of Registration of Vital Statistics in Connecticut, I am trying to get as full and reliable information as possible as to the completeness and accuracy which is attained in each town.

If you will reply at your early convenience to the above inquiries, you will contribute something to a more exact knowledge of the value of registration in Connecticut, and oblige, yours truly,

C. A. LINDSLEY, M.D., Superintendent of Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths.

To this circular 127 replies were made, answering more or less of the questions asked.

To the 1st question there were 121 answers, to wit: 45 in the affirmative and 76 in the negative. But many of the negative answers were qualified by the statement that it applied to only a portion of the physicians or midwives. That is, some made prompt returns while one or more physicians were negligent. From such physicians the registrars often complained that it was difficult to get returns at the end of the year in time to include them in the annual abstract.

To the 2d question:-"To what extent are the certificates, when returned, complete as regards the particulars required by law ?"

To this question 122 answers were made, of which 105 said "complete," or "usually," or "generally," or "mostly," or "nearly complete," the name of the child in the birth certificates being most frequently omitted.

Seventeen respondents gave varied answers thus:- "Particulars in Birth certificates more complete than in Death certificates."

Nativity, names of parents, ages, social condition, maiden name of wife or widow, are the omissions most frequently mentioned.

These answers indicate a negligence on the part of the physicians which is indefensible. That such items are wanting is probably in great measure due to the fact, that the certificates are so often made out a long time after the event to which they certify, particularly by those physicians who make returns only once a year. For instance, a person dies in January; the physician who attended him neglects to make a certificate of death until the following December. What is the chance of his remembering correctly all the particulars required in a death certificate if he did not make memoranda of the facts by special inquiry of the friends and relatives at the time of the decease? It is much to be feared that many facts given in certificates are only guesses at the truth, when the memory of the physician is the only basis upon which they are founded.

There were 120 answers to the 3d question:-“Do you, as a part of your official duty, make any periodical and systematic efforts to supply the defects, as the law provides ?" (Gen. Stat., sec. 101.) 105 were in the affirmative; 15 in the negative, of which 9 were squarely "No," and 6 were qualified. Thus :— "Have made some effort but with little success ;" "Made some effort;""When I could from former records;" "I think the compensation does not pay ;" and one gentleman apparently thought the inquiry was impertinent and answered in the following words :-"I intend to attend to my official duties and expect every one else to do the same." To several of the other questions the same registrar refuses an answer on the ground that he "has never inquired ;" "has no means of knowing." He even asserts his inability to know whether a certificate is fully filled out or not, boasting in the same reply that "I am not so egotistical as to suppose I am the only man who tries to do his duty."

It is gratifying to learn from a postscript, which he was kind enough to add to his communication, that he has resigned his office.

I am pleased to be able to say, that the above respondent was the only registrar who exhibited any irritation of temper in his replies, and who did not answer the inquiries in a courteous spirit. The 4th question :-"In what proportion is the name of the infant wanting on the Certificates of Birth?"

To this 122 answers were received, widely differing in different

towns. They agree in only one respect, which is, that in every town more or less are wanting the given name. Only five registrars claim an approach to perfection in this respect, except concerning still-births and those dying before they are named. In these cases the question was evidently understood to apply to the records rather than the certificates, and the records were perfected by the registrars after certificates were returned. Five others claim that "only a few were wanting the first name.

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say "all" or "nearly all" were wanting it.

Twenty-five give indefinite answers not susceptible of classification. In many of the above instances the registrars affirm that they have very complete records of the names, through their subsequent inquiries of the parents after the certificates have been returned.

The percentages above given, therefore, are not to be taken as a measure of the accuracy of registration, but only of the completeness of the Birth certificates, which the law requires to be returned in most instances before the child is named. The law provides that each registrar shall be allowed the fee of ten cents "for completing each record of birth by procuring and inserting the full name of the child," and "for ascertaining, recording and indexing each birth or death of which no certificate has been returned to him, fifty cents." (Gen. Stat., sec. 115.) The statute also says the registrar shall "make and perfect all records of the birth and death of the persons born or deceased in his town, and when any birth or death shall happen of which no certificate shall be returned to him, he shall obtain the information required by law respecting such birth or death." (Gen. Stat., sec. 105.)

In consideration of the fact that the law requires the certificates of birth to be returned to the registrar within the first week of the month next succeeding each birth, and that so few babies are