NOTICES AND APPOINTMENTS
By J. E. Froom
The co-operation of our ministers which was requested by the General Conference Medical Council, is being realized to an encouraging degree. We know that this requires an effort on the part of the one called to officiate on funeral occasions, as the attention of the bereaved ones is not on statistics. Part of the data called for must be furnished by the attending physician, whose residence may be distant from the home where the funeral occurs; or the doctor may not be in his office when it is visited. But if the blank, together with a stamped envelope addressed to the editor of the REVIEW AND HERALD, is left with the person in charge of the doctor's office, a request for the physician to fill out his part of the blank, and promptly mail it, will seldom fail of being complied with. When it is impossible to see the doctor, the blank could be mailed to him, or better yet, ask some member of the family of the deceased to carry it to him. Some may query as to the necessity and advantage of recording these facts. The reasons for collecting such data are apparent to physicians. To illustrate the need of exact vital statistics: We have recently seen a doctor change his views of vegetarianism; he now claims that the diet so generally used by us is a prolific cause of some of the most common diseases among us. He claims to substantiate his statements by conclusions which he draws from the obituary notices published in the REVIEW AND HERALD. Whatever lessons are to be drawn from health statistics certainly ought to be founded on certified reports of attending physicians. If the facts should give evidence that we are not wisely utilizing the grand principles of health, let us have the evidence, and improve our practice, rather than discard divinely appointed truth. Every ray of light is to be cherished. We bespeak for the Medical Council the faithful use of these vital statistics blanks by our ministers. J. E. FROOM, M. D.,
Sec. Gen. Conf. Med. Council.