HARRY HUGHES, Governor

789

NUISANCE;

(5)  ANY EXAMINATION OR ANALYSIS OF A WATER
SUPPLY;

(6)  ANY EXAMINATION OR ANALYSIS OF MILK; AND

(7)  ANY INQUIRY ABOUT ANY OTHER MATTER THAT THE
SECRETARY REQUIRES.

REVISOR'S NOTE: This section is new language patterned
after Article 43, § 35(a)(1) and the first phrase
of the first sentence and, except for the first
clause, the second sentence of (2).

This section is revised to list generally the
functions of these public laboratories. Although
Article 43, § 35(a)(1) lists the duties of the
Department as to inquiries, the introductory
clause of Article 43, § 35(a)(2) -- "{i}n order
to perform these and related functions the
Department shall establish ..." -- makes clear
that the public health and clinical laboratories
are used in connection with the performance of
these functions.

Item (1) of this section combines the provisions
that relate to inquiries that the Department
makes about "infectious diseases" and inquiries
that a physician or health officer makes about
"infectious and contagious diseases", using the
current terminology "communicable disease".
Although the term "communicable disease" differs
from the term "infectious disease{s}" -- in
that it encompasses noninfectious diseases that
are transmissible and excludes infectious
diseases that are not transmissible -- other
provisions clearly focus the public health
efforts of the Department on communicable
diseases and, thus, of the laboratories as to
inquiries.

In item (1) of this section, the defined term
"health officer" is substituted for "all local
boards of health" to reflect that a laboratory
answers an inquiry from a health officer,
although a county board of health may have,
directed that officer to make the inquiry. This
substitution also clarifies that inquiries of the
Baltimore City Commissioner of Health are
answered.

Also in item (1) of this section, the defined
term "physician" is substituted for the reference
to "all practicing physicians of the State", for