STATE AND LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH. 
CHAPTER 129, LAWS 1885. 
An Act to create a State and local boards of health, and to regulate the 
practice of medicine in the State of Kansas. 
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Kansas: 
Section 1. Within thirty clays after this act shall take 
effect, the governor, by and with the advice and consent of 
the senate, if it be then in session, shall appoint from the dif- 
ferent parts of the state nine physicians, who shall be men of 
good moral character and temperate habits, distinguished for 
their devotion to the study of medicine and allied sciences, of 
not less than seven years’ continuous practice in their profes- 
sion, and each of whom shall be a graduate of a respectable 
medical college; and said nine physicians, when so appointed 
and confirmed, shall be known as “ The Kansas State Board 
of Health.” Three of said physicians shall be appointed for 
one year, three for two years, and three for three years; and 
annually thereafter the governor shall in like manner appoint 
three physicians of like character and qualifications to fill the 
vacancies occurring in said board by reason of the expiration 
of the terms of service, as herein provided; and the persons 
so appointed shall hold their respective offices for the like 
term of three years, and until their successors are appointed 
and qualified; but in no case shall the governor appoint a 
majority of the physicians that shall constitute said board of 
health from any one school of medical practice, nor shall said 
board at any time be composed of persons a majority of whom 
shall be of the same school of medical practice. Upon the 
appointment of the nine physicians first provided for in this 
act, the secretary of state shall issue to each of them a certifi- 2 
cate of his appointment, and within twenty days after such 
appointment the said nine persons shall meet in the city of 
Topeka, and they shall each take and subscribe the oath pre- 
scribed by law for state officers, which oath shall be filed with 
the secretary of state. And thereupon said board shall im- 
mediately organize by electing one of its number president. 
They shall also elect a secretary, and said secretary shall be 
the executive officer of said board, but not a member thereof. 
The secretary shall execute to the state of Kansas a bond in 
the sum of five thousand dollars, with sureties to be approved 
by the governor; and when approved, it shall be filed in the 
office of the secretary of state. Said bond shall be conditioned 
for the faithful performance of the duties of his office as such 
secretary. And he shall take and file a like oath to that pre- 
scribed for the members of said board. The board may elect 
one of its own number secretary, but in such case such election 
shall create a vacancy in the board, which shall be filled by 
the governor. It shall be the duty of the governor to fill all 
Vacancies which may occur in the board; and all appoint- 
ments, whether original or to fill vacancies, made during the 
recess of the legislature, shall be submitted by the governor to 
the senate at its first session after such appointment is made, 
for its action. But all lawful official actions of the members 
of the board made before confirmation or rejection, shall be 
valid. The executive council shall provide the state board of 
health a suitable office at the city of Topeka for the transac- 
tion of its business. 
Sec. 2. The state board of health shall make, adopt and 
publish such rules and order of business as may be necessary 
to make this act effective, and facilitate the transaction of its 
business. It shall provide a seal, and all correspondence and 
papers emanating from it shall be under the seal of said 
board. It shall meet quarterly, and oftener if deemed neces- 
sary, at such place as it may designate, the first meeting to be 
held in the city of Topeka. The annual meeting after the 
first shall be held during the month of June in each and every 
year, at Topeka, and a majority of its members shall consti- 
tute a quorum for the transaction of business. No member 3 
of the board shall receive any compensation for services ren- 
dered ; but their traveling and other necessary expenses, while 
employed on the business of the board, shall be allowed and 
paid. The secretary shall receive such compensation as may 
be allowed by the state board of health, and approved by the 
governor, and to be paid him in the same manner as the sal- 
aries of other state officers are paid, and such necessary ex- 
penses shall be allowed him as the secretary of state shall 
admit, on the presentation of an itemized account, having 
vouchers annexed, together with the certificate of the board. 
Sec. 3. The secretary shall hold his office so long as he 
shall faithfully discharge the duties thereof; but may be re- 
moved for just cause at any regular meeting of the board, by 
a majority of all members of the board. He shall keep a 
record of all the transactions of the board; shall have the 
custody of all books, papers, documents, and other property 
belonging to the office; shall communicate with other state 
boards of health, and with the local boards of health within 
this state; shall file and keep all reports received from such 
boards, and all correspondence of the office appertaining to 
the business of the board. He shall perform all other duties 
prescribed in this act for the said secretary, or directed by the 
state board of health. 
Sec. 4. The state board of health shall supervise the health 
interests of the people of this state. They shall make careful 
inquiry in respect to the cause of disease, and especially of 
epidemics, and investigate the sources of mortality, and the 
effects of localities, employments, conditions, ingesta, habits 
and surroundings on the health of the people. They shall 
advise officers of government, or other state boards, in regard 
to location, drainage, water supply, disposal of excreta, heat- 
ing and ventilation of public buildings. They shall collect 
and preserve such information relating to forms of disease 
and death as may be useful in the discharge of the duties of 
said board. All health officers of local boards of health in 
the state shall transmit to said state board of health copies 
of the reports and publications, and such sanitary information 
as may be useful to the people of the state. 4 
Sec. 5. The state board of health shall supervise the regis- 
tration of marriages, births, and deaths, and also the registra- 
tion of forms of disease prevalent in the state; and the secretary 
of said board shall superintend the registration of the vital 
statistics of the state. They shall prepare the blank forms 
necessary for obtaining and preserving such records, and for- 
ward such of them to the health officers of local boards as 
may be required by physicians, assessors, local boards, and 
others whose duty it is to gather information in relation to the 
vital statistics of the state. The state board of health shall 
also prepare the forms and establish the rules by which per- 
mits for transporting the dead bodies of persons for burial 
beyond the county where the death occurs; and in all cases 
the said board of health shall require the coupons to be attached 
to such permits, to be detached and preserved by every com- 
mon carrier, or the person in charge of any vessel, railroad 
train, or vehicle, to which dead bodies shall be delivered for 
transportation. Any violations of these rules shall subject 
the offender to a fine of ten dollars for each offense. 
Sec. 6. The state board of health shall, when they think 
best to do so, appoint committees, or engage suitable persons 
to render special sanitary service, to make or supervise practi- 
cal or scientific investigations and examinations, requiring ex- 
pert skill, and to prepare plans and report thereon. And it is 
hereby made the duty of all officers and agents having the 
control, charge or custody of any public structure, work, 
ground or erection, or any plan, description, outline drawings, 
charts thereof or relating thereto, made, kept or controlled 
under any public authority, to permit and facilitate any exam- 
ination and inspection ordered by said board; and the mem- 
bers of said board, and such other officer or person as may at 
any time be by said board authorized, may without fee or 
hindrance enter, examine and survey all grounds, erections, 
vehicles, structures, apartments, buildings, and places; but die 
legislature shall first determine the amount which shall be 
expended during the year for such special sanitary work, and 
the expenditures shall not exceed the amount thus determined 
and set apart for the year.