Roberta and all,

About a year ago, I went to the Dept. of Health on Worth Street and ordered
the death certificate for an aunt who died in 1962. A few weeks later I
received a certified copy indicating the cause of death. Unless they
changed the law or perhaps because she died in a fire >from multiple burns,
perhaps they don't give out personal medical information anymore. I am not
sure but a call to them and if you speak to a knowledgeable person,
should get your answer.

Diane Jacobs
Somerset, NJ

I have two death certificates issued by the New York City Department of

Health. Both are in the 1950s and neither has a cause of death.
Has anyone been successful in obtaining the cause of death >from the
Department of Heatlh?

The requirements that they sent me are:
" 1. A need for the family medical history must be demonstrated to the
satisfaction of the Commissioner of Health, in order to counsel or diagnose
and/or treat an illness or conditions in an individual.
2. The information contained in the confidential medical report of death
must be otherwise unavailable >from other sources and such unavailability
must be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Commissioner of Health.
Therefore, any request should include a description of efforts to obtain
cause of death information >from other sources (such as the hospital or
attending physician at which or by whom the decedent was treated).
3. Requests must be made by an individual licensed to practice medicine and
the information requested may be released only to such licensed
practitioner."

Thank you for any guidance.
Roberta Berman >>>