The Mental Deficiency Act, 1913 : together with the regulations and rules made under the provisions of that Act, the departmental circulars, the Elementary (Defectice and Epileptic Children) Acts, 1899 and 1914, and, introduction and annotations / by R.A. Leach.
- Date:
- 1914
Licence: In copyright
Credit: The Mental Deficiency Act, 1913 : together with the regulations and rules made under the provisions of that Act, the departmental circulars, the Elementary (Defectice and Epileptic Children) Acts, 1899 and 1914, and, introduction and annotations / by R.A. Leach. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![to assist them in the performance of their duties under this Act; (h) to make to the Board annual reports and such other reports as the Board may require: Provided that— (i) nothing in this Act shall be construed as imposing any obligation on a local authority to perform the duties officers and other persons. On the expediency of local authorities availing themselves of the services of officers w'ho are already employed by a public authority, as, for instance. Medical Officers of Health, Relieving Officers, Schbol Attendance Officers, and so forth, see paragraph 21 (ii.) of tl’e Circular from the Board of Control to County and County Borough Councils, of the 2nd April, 1914, post. As regards officers and servants to be appointed for certified institutions provided by local authorities, see 116—118 of the above-mentioned Regulations. (/() Uepiorts.—See 28-29 of the Home Secretary’s Regulations, 2nd April, 1914, piost. (/) The finunc'ial p)^ovision on tvJiicii oblic/otions rest.—On the financial provisions of the Act, see paragraphs 3—16 in the Circular from the Board of Control to County and County Borough Councils, 2nd April, 1914, qjost. (ii.) and (iii.) The Lunacy Acts and the Poor-Law Acts: For the local authorities under the Lunacy Acts, 1890 to 1911, see Note to section 27. The powers and duties of every such authority are as shown in this Note. The local authority have to provide and maintain an asylum or asylums for the accommodation of ijauper lunatics. (Lunacy Act, 1890, section 238.) “ Lunatic ” means “ an idiot or person of unsound mind ” (section 341). The local authority may also provide asylum accommodation for private patients, together with pauper patients or in separate asylums, and may provide separate asylums for idiots or patients suffering from any particular class of mental disorder (section 241). But the primary duty of the local authority is to provide for pauper patients. “ Pauper patient ” means “ a person wholly or partly chargeable to a union, county, or borough ” ; and “ private patient ” means “ a patient who is not a pauper ” (section 341). Pauper lunatics are ordinarily sent to county and borough asylums under “ summary ” reception orders made by a judicial authority or other Justice (see sections 13-16 of the Lunacy Act, 1890, in appendix), but in certain cases they may be sent there on order of two or more Lunacy Commissioners (sections 23 (1) and 60 (1) ), while the Secretary of State may by his warrant direct a criminal hmatic to be transfen’ed to such an asylum, who on ceasing to be dealt with as a criminal may become a pauper lunatic—there is also power for Justices to make reception or detention orders in certain cases where Secretary of State does not act or has not done so. (The Criminal Lnnatic Acts, 1833 and 1884.) A pauper patient may be transferred to the “ private ” class, and a private patient transferred to the “ pauper ” class. (Lunacy Act. 1890, section 37.) Private patients are sent to county or borough asylums or other institutions for lunatics—i.e., hospitals or licensed houses where lunatics are received—on reception orders made on petition. (See Note to section 5.) The ]iowcrs and duties of the local authority under the Lunacy Acts are exercised through the Committee of Visitors “ subject, if the local authority think fit, to their directions as to which of the methods of providing asylum a<'commodation authorised by this .Act shall be adopted.” (Lunacy Act, 1890, section 239.) The Committee are](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29010172_0068.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
