EMERSON C. HARRINGTON, GOVERNOR. 333

terests of the residents of their respective districts, and shall
make sanitary investigations and inquiries respecting the causes
of disease, especially epidemics and the cause of mortality \
they shall inquire into and investigate all nuisances affecting
the health, comfort or property of the citizens of their respec-
tive districts, and for this purpose they are authorized to go
upon any premises or into any house in their respective dis-
tricts. They shall furnish the County Health Officer with a full
report of all their investigations and findings in such matters,
and shall take such steps as the County Commissioners shall
direct to abate any nuisance injuriously affecting the public
health or the lives of persons making, complaint, or unduly in-
juring the health or comfort, or damaging the property of the
persons affected by the aforesaid nuisance. In case of any epi-
demic or contagious or infections diseases within the county,
the County Commissioners or the County Health Officer may
send one or all of said sanitary officers to the locality where the
said epidemic exists, for which services they shall receive such
compensation as may be fixed by the County Commissioners of
Howard County; they shall also serve as vaccine physicians
for their respective districts, and it shall be their duty to
vaccinate free of charge any child whose guardian or parents
are too poor to pay for the service. It shall further be the
duty of said district health officers to examine into the sanitary
conditions of all highways, alleys and by-ways in their respec-
tive districts, and if the same are found to be in an unsan-
itary condition, to report such fact immediately to the county
health officer. Upon request of any school teacher they shall
also examine all primary school children's eyes once a year
for refractional and focal difficulties, and cause the parents
or guardian of children whose eyes are defective to be so in-
formed. They shall examine all exposed parts of school chil-
dren at least once a term, or oftener, if requested by the
teacher, for contagious skin diseases, and such children to-
gether with those whom the teacher shall show to have para-
sites, shall be excluded from school until they can furnish a
certificate from a regular qualified physician that they are rid
of trouble. They shall also act as physicians to the coroners of
their respective districts, and examine indigent insane when
requested by any officer of the county. No medical services
shall be engaged or employed to carry out the provisions of
this act without the specific order of the Local Board of Health,
and no such services shall be employed without the permission
of the Local Board of Health and the County Health officer.