534                               LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 321

(5) It shall be the duty of the Clerks of the several equity courts
of this State to transmit to the State Board of Health and Mental
Hygiene upon forms to be supplied by the said Board a report of each
decree of adoption or adjudication of paternity and a report of the
revocation or amendment of any such decree.

[20. Birth and stillbirth registration.

(a)  Physician or midwife to file certificate with local registrar.—
Every physician or midwife who shall be in attendance at the birth of
any child shall, within three days succeeding the birth, file with the
local registrar or deputy local registrar of the district of birth a
proper and correct certificate of the birth.

(b)  Absence of licensed attendant at birth.—In the absence of a
licensed attendant at the birth it shall be the responsibility of the
owner or custodian of the institution or premises where birth oc-
curred to report the details of the birth to the local registrar of the
district and to execute a correct and proper certificate of birth within
48 hours. Provided, that if the parents of the child have not received
a birth registration notice within ten days, then such parent shall
report the details of the birth to the local registrar who shall, after
any necessary investigation, execute the certificate of birth.

(c)  Review and countersigning midwife's certificate.—The still-
birth certificate shall be executed by the physician or midwife in
attendance, provided that in the case of midwife deliveries, the
county health officer or commissioner of health of Baltimore City,
or their designated representative, shall review and countersign the
certificates.]

[18] 20. Execution and filing of death certificate.

(a)  The certificate of death shall be filled out and signed within
twenty-four (24) hours after death by the physician last in at-
tendance upon the deceased, except in such cases where the Medical
Examiner takes charge of the corpse, in which case the certificate
shall be executed by him.

(b)   When the Medical Examiner is unable to determine the cause
of death within twenty-four (24) hours after receipt of a corpse, he
shall promptly make the entry "Inquest pending" in the cause of
death section of the death certificate, and shall immediately forward
such certificate in the usual manner prescribed for death certificates.
As soon as the cause of death is ascertainable, he shall forward to
the State Board of Health and Mental Hygiene or its designated
agent a report of such cause of death for entry on such certificate.

(c)  Any person concerned with the execution of this sub-title shall
promptly notify the Deputy Medical Examiner if the deceased was
not under treatment by a physician during the terminal illness, or
if he considers any of the following conditions to be either the cause
of death or contributing to the death: (1) accidents including falls
with fractures or other injuries; (2) homicide; (3) suicide; (4) other
external manner of death; (5) alcoholism; (6) criminal or suspected
criminal abortion; (7) cause of death is not known.

(d)  The physician or medical examiner executing any certificate
of death shall present it within the time limit prescribed in sub-
sections (a) and (b) of this section to the funeral director or other
person authorized to make disposition of the corpse.