16 Pa. Stat. § 2171
Each county of the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth class shall make a record of all of the personal and statistical particulars relative to the inmates in their institutions, as directed by the Department of Health, for statistical purposes, and thereafter such record shall be by them made for all future inmates at the time of their admission. In case of dependents admitted or committed for medical treatment of disease, the physician in charge shall specify for entry in the record the nature of the disease and where, in his opinion, it was contracted. The personal particulars and information required by this section shall be obtained from the individual dependent himself, if it is practicable to do so, and when they cannot be so obtained, they shall be secured in as complete a manner as possible from the relatives, friends or other persons acquainted with the facts.
16 P.S. § 2171