VITAL STATISTICS. Public records kept by a state, city or other governmental subdi vision, under a statutory provision, of births, marriages and death's, and disease. Certificates required by statute to be made by officers may, as a rule, be introduced in evidence; Marlow v. School Dist. No. 4, 29 Okl. 304, 116 Pac. 797. Duly authenticated copies of official registers of births &c., are admissible in evidence ; Succession of Derig ny, 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, resi dence, color or race, birthplace, age and oc cupation of the parents, the number of chil dren 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 unconstitu tional ; State v. Boone, 84 Ohio St. 95 N. E. 924, 39 L. R. A. (N. S.) 1015, Ann. Cas. 1912C, 683; contra, Com. v. McConnell, 116 Ky. 358, 76 S. W. 41.
The Census Act of 1902 provides for col lecting data of vital statistics.