DIVISION OF VITAL RECORDS
Geneva G. Sparks, Chief

4201 Patterson Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21215—2299 (410) 764-3034
24-hour telephone: (410) 225-5988
toll free: 1-800-832-3277

The Division of Vital Records was organized in
1912 as the Bureau of Vital Statistics. In 1951, it
was reformed as the Division of Vital Records and
Statistics and, in 1967, as the Division of Vital
Records under the Bureau of Analysis and Records.
In 1969, the Division was placed under the Center
for Health Statistics. In 1988, the Division was
separated from Health Statistics.
The Division provides copies of certified birth,
death, marriage and annulment certificates. All births,
deaths, marriages, and divorces that occur in the State
are registered. Copies of birth, death and marriage
records are issued to authorized persons for a fee of
$3.00 per copy (checks to be made payable to the
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene).
Birth and Death Records. The Division has birth
and death records for Baltimore City from January
1,1875, and for the twenty-three counties of Mary-
land from August 1898. Copies of birth records
prior to 1920, and death records prior to 1974 also
are available from the State Archives.
Marriage and Divorce Records. State marriage
registration began on June 1, 1951, and divorce
registration began in June 1961. Copies of marriage
records prior to June 1951 and of all divorce records
may be obtained from the Circuit Court clerk in the
county where the marriage or divorce occurred, or
from the State Archives.

OFFICE OF
CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER

John E. Smialek, M.D., Chief Medical Examiner

111 Penn St.
Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 333-3225

Appointed by the State Postmortem Examiners
Commission, the Chief Medical Examiner oversees
Autopsy Services, Statewide Services, Toxicology,
Administration, and the Center for the Study of
Health Effects of Fire. The Chief Medical Examiner
performs autopsies, when necessary, and provides
the State's Attorney with copies of records concern-
ing any death for which the medical examiner con-
siders further investigation advisable.

STATE POSTMORTEM EXAMINERS COMMISSION
Chairperson: Benjamin Trump, MD., Dept. of
Pathology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
(410) 333-3225

The Department of Postmortem Examiners was
created in 1939 to replace a decentralized system of
local coroners (Chapter 69, Acts of 1939). In 1982,
the Department was subsumed into the State Post-
mortem Examiners Commission (Chapter 21, Acts
of 1982.
The State Postmortem Examiners Commission
appoints physicians as deputy medical examiners in
each county. They investigate violent and suspicious
deaths or deaths unattended by physicians. The dep-
uty medical examiners file with the Office of Chief
Medical Examiner reports of all deaths investigated.
Commission records are open for inspection to
the family of the deceased and are acceptable in
court as evidence of the facts contained.
The State Postmortem Examiners Commission
is composed of four ex officio members and a rep-
resentative of the Department of Health and Men-
tal Hygiene selected by the Secretary of Health and
Mental Hygiene. The Commission appoints all pro-
fessional personnel (Code Health—General Arti-
cle, secs. 5-301 through 5-312).

CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF
HEALTH EFFECTS OF FIRE
Director: John E. Smialek, M.D., Chief Medical
Examiner

111 Penn St., 3rd floor
Baltimore, MD 21201 (410) 333-3250

The Center for the Study of the Health Effects
of Fire was created in 1988 (Chapter 185, Acts of
1988). The Center studies the health effects of
exposure to fire; gathers and analyzes data on fire-
related injury or death; and maintains both a regis-
try of persons who suffer fire-related injury or
death, and a computerized data base concerning
injuries and health effects of fire. The Center is a
repository for information routinely collected
about fires. Information collected by the Center
and intended for use in research is confidential and
not discoverable or admissible as evidence in a civil
or criminal action to determine cause of death or
liability for injury or death.
In accordance with the State budget, the Center
funds pilot studies on issues or factors affecting
injuries or health effects of fire. The Center also
applies for federal or private research grants to
investigate such issues. In addition, the Center com-
municates with national scientific data bases on
toxicology, chemistry, epidemiology, and related sci-
entific disciplines; collaborates with agencies, such
as the National Bureau of Standards, that are in-
volved in programs related to health effects of fire;
and promotes interest in fire-related issues at edu-
cational institutions in Maryland (Code Health—
General Article, secs. 18-701 through 18-711).