The observations of the Governors upon the report of the Commissioners in Lunacy to the Secretary of State on Bethlem Hospital : with appendices.

  • Bethlem Royal Hospital
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The observations of the Governors upon the report of the Commissioners in Lunacy to the Secretary of State on Bethlem Hospital : with appendices. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Page 36. Pages 47, 53, 85. Page 45. further progress was impossible. The Physicians and Apothecary first applied for copies of the Report to the Governors, who were precluded from supplying them by the terms of the Secretary of State’s letter. One of the Physicians, and the Apothecary, then wrote, as it is said, to the Secretary of State to the same effect, but were informed, as the Governors understand, that their requests could not be granted. In the mean time, the Governors were applied to by the Home Secretary for their Observations on the Report ; and on their representing the impossibility of complying with his requisition until the Officers affected by the Report were allowed to examine and answer it, they received permission, (on the 25th June,) to furnish them with copies, “upon condition that “ such copies are not made use of for any purpose except that of “ preparing answers by the Officers to the statements made in the “ Report.” The Remarks of the Physicians and the Matron were received as hereinafter stated, but no Remarks have been received from the Apothecary for the reasons assigned in his Letters. It will thus be seen that the Governors are in no degree responsible for any delay, which they were most anxious to avoid. Although the Governors were, from the first, aware that the Com¬ missioners were exceeding the powers of investigation specified by the 8th and 9th Viet. c. 100, s. 116, and that their enquiry was extended to matters entirely foreign to their jurisdiction; nevertheless, having no desire but to ascertain and amend any defects in the administration of the Hospital, they raised no ques¬ tion as to the regularity of the proceedings.* Indeed, the Com¬ missioners state that “ every facility was afforded by the Governors “of Bethlehem Hospital to enable us to pursue our enquiries.” The * 8 & 9 Viet. cap. 100, sec. 116.—“ And be it Enacted, That nothing in this Act contained shall extend to the Royal Hospital of Bethlehem, or any building adjacent thereto and used therewith : Provided always, that it shall he lawful for any Commissioner or other Person, whom the Lord Chancellor, or any one of Her Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State shall at any time, by an order in writing, under the hand of the said Lord Chancellor or Secretary of State, direct to visit and examine the Royal Hospital of Bethlehem, and every or any building adjacent thereto as aforesaid, and every or any person confined therein.
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