Vital Statistics

Public records kept by a state, city or other governmental subdivision, under a statutory provision, of births, marriages and deaths, and disease. Certificates required by statute to be made Okl. 304, 116 Pac. 797. Duly authenticated copies of official registers of births &c., are admissible in evidence; Succession of Derigny, 128 La. 853, 55 South. 552; to show the cause of death; Healy v. Hoy, 115 Minn. 321, 132 N. W. 208; National Council of K. & L. of Security v: O’Brien, 112 111. App. 40, Mc- Kinstry v. Collins, 74 Vt. 147, 52 Atl. 438; so of a physician’s certificate, filed in the health commissioner’s office according to law and properly authenticated; Ohmeyer v. Woodmen Circle, 91 Mo. App. 189; contra, Sovereign Camp of Woodmen of the World v. Grandon, 64 Neb. 39, 89 N. W. 448; and of an unsigned and undated death certificate, not certified to be a part of the records of the office; Lucas v. Cattle Co., 186 Mo. 448, 85 S. W. 359. See Weather Bureau. An act requiring physicians and midwives to investigate and certify whether the birth was or was not legitimate, the name, residence, color or race, birthplace, age and occupation of the parents, the number of children the mother has borne, her maiden name, etc., for use in the bureau of vital statistics, and which provides no compensation for the collection of such information, is unconstitutional; State v. Boone, 84 Ohio St 346, 95 N. E. 924, 39 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1015, Ann. Cas. 1912C, #83; contra, Com. v. Mc Connell, 116 Ky. 358, 76 S. W. 41. The Census Act of 1902 provides for collecting data of vital statistics. VIVA VOCE (Lat. with living voice). Verbally. It is said a witness delivers his evidence viva voce when he does so in open court; the term is opposed to deposition. It is sometimes opposed to ballot: as, the people vote by ballot, but their representatives in the legislature vote viva voce.