As one that worked labor and delivery during that era, I can tell you we did footprints on all the babies born in hospitals where I worked.
Were footprints taken for the confidential medical portion of the official birth certificate, or were they taken just for a commemorative certificate that was given to the parents?
I’ve always thought that to be connected to an actual physical child and actual physical mother there would have to be some proof of which real person was referenced on the BC. Even just to be sure that the babies ended up with the right parent, or that a BC really belongs to a certain individual. I mean, what would keep me from stealing my classmates’ birth certificates and posing as them a couple states away? How would anybody know whether that child on the BC was really me or not?
I have that question about right now too. Do hospitals take fingerprints or footprints of mom and baby to have on the genuine confidential medical section of the BC?