Remarks on the lunacy laws, as also asylums, of Scotland and France / by John Webster.

  • Webster, John
Date:
[1856?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Remarks on the lunacy laws, as also asylums, of Scotland and France / by John Webster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    I; Minister may revoke all appointments of director and physicians, upon the report of the Prefet; as he settles the salaries of officers; and farther, seeing the Prefets are only Government servants, by whom they are appointed, and at whose pleasure they retain their offices, the Minister of the Interior becomes, in fact, 'the sole dis¬ penser of every important appointment attached to the public insane asylums in Prance ; much’ in the same way as the Minister of Justice possesses all legal patronage. Although the principal physician must reside, according to this ordonnance, within the asylum, ho may nevertheless, through favour, obtain a special permission from the Minister, to live elsewhere. In that case, however, he ought to visit the lunatics confided to his care, at least once every day : and, if prevented, this duty must be performed by a resident physician. The above constitute some of the chief rules and orders respecting public insang asylums. But when any person is desirous of ob¬ taining a licence to open a private establishment, such applicant must petition the Prefet of the Department in which the proposed institution is situated, to whose satisfaction it should be proved that, he is twenty-one years of age, and in the enjoyment of all his civil rights: that his conduct and morals have been good during the three previous years—as shown by the certificate of the Mayor of the Commune in which the party has resided ; and lastly, that he is a Doctor of Medicine. Nevertheless, in cases where the petitioner does not possess that qualification, he may then produce an obliga¬ tion from some physician who engages, with the Prefet’s approval, to undertake the medical duties of, and to reside in, that asylum; but as the Prefet can at any time revoke this nomination, it is not likely the treatment of such patients will be much neglected. To these details respecting the constitution and ordinary government of public and private insane establishments throughout France, I will only add that, besides the official persons previously mentioned, there are also two Inspectors-General of all the lunatic asylums in the Empire, with one adjoint Inspector: whose special duties,, amongst others, are to visit and report to the Minister of the Interior, in reference to the management, or otherwise, of the insane ; and everything of importance connected with similar esta¬ blishments. By the present lunacy laws of France, there are two classes of patients in establishments for the insane: namely, 1, voluntary; and, 2, those designated d'office, llegarding the former, or volun¬ tary patients, prior to being admitted into au asylum, a petition is presented to the authorities by some near relative of the party considered a lunatic. This document must be accompanied by the certificate of one legally qualified medical practitioner, who states the patient is insane, and requires confinement in an asylum, —the characteristic features and chief svmptoms of the mental malady being specially mentioned. In addition to these essential
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