WM. PRESTON LANE, JR., GOVERNOR. 22(51

of Maryland (1939 Edition and 1943 Supplement), title
"Health", sub-title "Chiropractic", relating to the State
Board of Chiropractic Examiners and clarifying the pro-
visions of the law relating to the practice of chiropractic
and prohibiting certain types of advertising.

This bill makes several amendments to the existing chiro-
practic law most of which are not too important and about
which there is not much controversy.

The controversy over the bill arises because of the amend-
ment of Sub-section (c) of Section 446, of Article 43 of the
Code, in which the practice of chiropractic is defined. I
set forth the sub-section in question showing by italicizing
what has been added to the law and by parenthesis ( ) what
has been eliminated.

"(c) chiropractic is hereby defined to be a drugless health
system, the basic principle of which teaches that disease is
caused by interference with the transmission of nerve im-
pulses. The practice of chiropractic is defined as diagnosis,
the location of disaligned or misplaced vertabrae of the
human spinal column, the procedure preparatory to and the
adjustment by hand of such misaligned or displaced vertebrae
of the spinal column and its articulations, by any method not
including the use of drugs, surgery or obstetrics, osteopathy,
optometry or podiatry or any branch of medicine for the pur-
pose of relieving such interference and aiding in the restora-
tion of health, providing that nothing herein contained shall
be construed to prohibit the use of by any licensed chiroprac-
tor of all necessary electrical, mechanical, dietetic and sani-
tary measures Incident to the care of the human body, (nor
any branch of medicine, nor osteopathy) for the purpose of
relieving such interference."

At an extended hearing on the bill the representatives of
the chiropractic profession contended that the added language
will give them no right to do anything more in practice than
they are now doing. If that is true, the importance of the
amendment tends to disappear. On the other hand, members
of the medical profession very strenuously contend that the
added language will extend the field of practice to the doing
of most anything.

If this is true, the major controversy over the bill is con-
fined to a question of the interpretation of the language used
in the amendment. I have decided to veto the bill because
I have been assured that the added language is unnecessary
in order to permit the chiropractic profession to continue its
practice in the same manner and to the same extent that it
has and now does.