Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The Australasian medical directory and handbook / edited by Ludwig Bruck. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.
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![THE LUNATICS ACT (1882). (27 and 28 Vic., No. 21 ; and 29 Vic., No. 19.) Certificates in Lunacy. Pauper Lunatic.t.—No pauper shall be received into any asylum without an order under the hand of one Justice, together with statement of particulars, nor with- out a metlical certificate according to the following form, signed by one Medical Practitioner, who shall have personally examined him not more than seven clear days previously to his reception :—-I, the undersigned, A.B., of in the Province of South Australia, a Medical Practitioner of the said Province, and now in actual practice, hereby certify that I, on the day of at \_IIere imert the street, awl the number of the house, Qif any'), or other Uhe. particulans], in the said Province, [/;» any case lohere more than one medical certijieate is required by this Act, here insert separately from any other Medical Practitioner], personally examined A.B., of \jinsei‘t residence and qmfession or occupation, (_ifany)'], and that the said A.B. is a lunatic [or an idiot, or a person of unsound mind], and a proper person to be taken charge of, and detained under care and treatment, and that I have formed this opinion on the following grounds, viz.:—1. Pacts indicating insanity observed by myself \Jiere .state the facts']. 2. Other facts, (if any), indicating insanity communicated to me by others [Itei'e state the information and from whom obtained]. Dated this day of 18 , (Signed) Lunatics not being Paupers.—No person not a pauper, shall be received into any asjdum without an onler under the hand of some person, together with statement of particulars, nor without the medical certificate, according to the above form, of taut Medical Practitioners, neither of whom shall be in partnership with, or an assistant to the other, and each of whom shall separately from the other, have personally examined the person to whom it relates, not more than seven clear days previously to the recep- tion of such peison into such asylum,and such order as aforesaid maybe signed before or after the medical certificates or either of them : Provided always that any person may, under special circumstances preventing the examination of such person by two Medical Practitioner’s as aforesaid, be received into any asylum upon the certificate of one Medical Practitioner alone, if the statement accompanying such order set foi'th the special circumstances which jrrevented the examination of such person by two Medical Pi’actitioners ; but in every such case two other such certificates shall, within three clear days after the reception of such patient in such asylum, be signed by two other Medical Practitioners not in partnership with, or an assistant to the other, or the Medical Practitioner who signed the certificate on which the patient was received, and who shall within such time, separately fi’om the other of them, have personally examined the pereon .so received as a lunatic. Medical Certificate to Specify Facts.—Every Medical Practitioner signing any certificate, shall specify therein the facts upon which he has formed his opinion that the ])erson to whom such certificate relates is a lunatic, an idiot, or a person of un.sound mind, distinguLshing in such certificate facts observed by himself from facts communicated to him by otheis; and no person shall be reeeived into any asyh:m under any certificate] which purports to be founded only on facts communicated by others. Medical Certificates contrary to Provisions.—Any Medical Practitioner who shall sign any certificate contrary to any of the provisions herein contained shall, for every such offence, forfeit any sum not exceeding Twenty Pounds ; and any Medical Practitioner who shall falsely state or certify anything in any certificate under this Act, and any person who shall sign any certificate under this Act, in which he shall be described as a Medical Practitioner, not being a Medical Practitioner within the mean- ing of this Act, shall be guilty of a misdemeanour. Board of Visitors. Appointment of Visitors.—The Visitors of each asylum shall be appointed by the Governor, and .shall continue in office until the first Monday in January in the year next following the date of their ai)pointment. Provided that, after the cxi)iration of the term for which any Visitor is appointed, he shall be eligible for appointment for the next ensuing year, and so from year t(j year. Jioohs, S)0., to be laid before Visitors.—Upon every visit of the Visitors, there shall be laid before them by the Resident Medical Ollicer, the several books by this Act reipiii’ed to be kept; and iilso all orders and certificates relating to patients admitted](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28034272_0047.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
