J. MILLARD TAWES, Governor                      467

minor child to such degree as to require medical treatment for such
child shall be guilty of a felony, and upon conviction shall be sen-
tenced to not more than fifteen years in the penitentiary.

[(b) Any physician who shall render medical treatment to a child
under the age of fourteen years under circumstances which indicate
a violation of the foregoing subsection shall immediately report all
circumstances surrounding such treatment to the police department
of the county or city, or the Maryland State Police, as the case
may be.]                                        %

(b)   Wherever used in this Act, unless the context clearly indi-
cates otherwise:

1.   "Health practitioner" includes any physician, surgeon, dentist
and other persons authorized to engage in the practice of healing,
any resident or intern in any of these professions, and any registered
or licensed practical nurse attending or treating a child in the
absence of a practitioner of any of these professions.

2.   "Child" means any person under the age of sixteen (16) years.

3. "Local department of welfare" and "local state's attorney"
have the meaning stated in subsection (g) of this Act.

4. "Education or social worker" shall mean any teacher in any
school, public, parochial or private, or any caseworker or social
worker in any public or private social, educational, health or welfare
agency.

5. "Law enforcement officer" shall mean any policeman, constable,
sheriff, deputy sheriff or state trooper in the service of the State of
Maryland or any county or municipality thereof.

(c)  Every health practitioner, education, health, mental health,
or social worker or law enforcement officer, who contacts, examines,
attends, or treats a child and who believes or has reason to believe
that the child has sustained physical injury as a result of abuse,
as by malicious beating, striking or other such cruel or inhumane
treatment, shall make a report in the form and manner provided in
the following sub-section; provided, however, that if the education or
social worker or law enforcement officer or health practitioner ex-
amines, attends, or treats the child in the capacity of a member of
the staff of a hospital, public health agency, child care institution,
juvenile detention center, school, or similar institution, the health
practitioner, education or social worker or law enforcement officer,
shall immediately notify and give all necessary information required
by this Act to the person or persons in charge of the institution or a
designated representative thereof, who shall make the report as
provided in the following subsection.

(d)  Each such report made pursuant to the provisions of this Act
shall be made to the agencies as provided for hereinafter, both orally
and in written form; both the reports to be made as soon as it is
reasonably possible in the circumstances, but, in any case, the written
report must be made within forty-eight (48) hours of the contact,
examination, attention or treatment which disclosed the existence of
possible malicious treatment or beating. The oral report shall be
made either by telephone or direct communication to the local depart-
ment of welfare, provided, however, that such report shall not be
necessary if it is the local department of welfare which discovers the