Chap. 35.—An ACT to amend and re-enact section 5 of an act approved March 7,
1900, providing for the appointment of a State board of health.

Approved February 27, 1904.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That section
five of an act passed eighteen hundred and ninety-nine and ninc-
teen hundred, approved March seventh, nineteen hundred, provid-
ing for the appointment of a State board of health and local boards of
health, defining the duties and powers and compensation thereof and
of their members, officers, and agents in connection with the preservation
of public health, and prescribing penalties against witnesses failing to
obey subpcenas issued by said State board of health, or any authorized
member thereof, for refusing to testify or otherwise acting in contempt
of said State board or duly authorized members, be amended and re-
enacted so as to read as follows:

§5. County boards of health, how constituted and appointed; powers,
cuties, et cetera.— The — circuit judge of each judicial circuit, and
the judges of the corporation courts, shall upon the recommendation
of the medical society of each county or corporation, if there be one,
biennially appoint three regularly licensed physicians of the county or
corporation, or if there be no such society, then the circuit and corpora-
tion judges shall appoint three duly licensed physicians, who shall, with
the clerk of the county or corporation court and chairman of the super-
visors or the mayor of the corporation, as the case may be, constitute a
county or city board of health: provided, however, that where the char-
ter of any city or town already provides for the creation of a board of
health, the provisions of this section of this act shall not apply. The
chairman of the board of supervisors shall act as the president of the
county board of health and the mayor as the president of the board of
health of such city or town. Each local board of health shall elect from
its members a secretary, who shall be a physician, and who shall serve
two years, or until his successor is appointed, but who may be removed
for cause by a majority vote of the board. Such local boards of health
shall have charge of the sanitary affairs of the respective cities, counties
or towns for which they are appointed, and shall, subject to the pro-
visions of this act, have control of the prevention and eradication of
contagious and infectious diseases, the removal and quarantine of sus-
pects; may provide for compulsory vaccination, the prevention, restric-
tion and care of small-pox, and other contagious or infectious diseases,
and shall, with the consent of the board of supervisors of the county or
the council of the city or town, as the case may be, fix the compensation
for the officers or agents employed m discharging such duties, and shall
see to the abatement. of nuisances and the collection as may be required

by the State board of health of vital statistics. They shall likewise have
power to adopt and enforce such reasonable rules and regulations as
they may deem necessary to attain these ends.

2. This being an emergency act, it shall take effect from its passage.