Manual for the use of the Board of Health, Lunacy and Charity of Massachusetts : containing the general and special statutes under which its authority is exercised.
- Massachusetts
- Date:
- 1880
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Manual for the use of the Board of Health, Lunacy and Charity of Massachusetts : containing the general and special statutes under which its authority is exercised. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
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![G. S.76, §7. 1863, c. 240. 1864, c. 307. Remedy of towns for expenses of lunatics committed to hospitals. R. 8.48, §10. 1841, 77. 18 Pick., 379. 9 Cush., 585. 11 Gray, 107. 6 Allen, 586. Expenses of support- ing inmates of state hospitals, who have settlements in this state, how col- lected, &c. 12 Allen, 510. Board to certify probable quarterly expense for support. 1862, c. 223. 1870, c. 105. Ninety per cent to be paid in ad- vance. department; other furniture in the inmates' department; personal property of the state in the superintendent's department; ready-made clothing ; dry goods ; provisions and groceries ; drugs and medicines ; fuel; library. [General Statutes, chap. 73.] Sect. 25. Every city and town paying expenses for the support or removal of a lunatic committed to either hospital, shall have like rights and remedies to recover the full amount thereof, with interest and cost, of the place of his settlement, as if such expenses had been in- curred in the ordinary support of the lunatic ; and the lunatic, if of sufficient ability to pa}7 the,same, and any kindred obligated b}r law to maintain him, shall be liable for all such expenses paid by any city or town in either case. [Statutes 1862, chap. 223.] Sect. 10. The expenses of the state lunatic hospitals for the support of lunatics having known settlements in this state, shall be paid quarterly, either by the persons obligated to pay, or by the place in which such lunatics had their residence, at the time of their commitment, unless other sufficient security is taken to the satisfaction of the trustees, for such support. If any place or person refuses to pa}T whatever sum may be charged and clue according to the by-laws of the hospital, on account of the support of such patient therein, or for the removal of any patient whom the trustees are authorized by law to re- move, for thirty daj-s after the same has been demanded by the treasurer in writing, of the maj'or and aldermen of the city or of the selectmen of the town, or of the per- son liable therefor, the same, with interest from the.time of such demand, may be recovered for the use of the hospital, in an action to be instituted by the district attor- neys, or other prosecuting officers, in the name of the treasurer, against such delinquent cit}', town, or person. [Statutes 1864, chap. 288.] Sect. 12. It shall be the duty of the board of state charities to certify to the auditor, within one week from the commencement of each quarter of the financial year, the probable amount due to each lunatic hospital for the support of state pauper inmates during said quarter. And upon application of any board of trustees of said hospitals the auditor may draw his warrant for a sum not exceeding ninety per cent, of the amount so certified, and the same shall be paid to the treasurer of the hospital making the application, to be used towards the payment of its current expenses incurred within the financial year.* * Under this statute, which now applies to the Board of Health, Lunacy, and Charity, several of the lunatic hospitals formerly drew large sums from the State treasury in advance of the end of the quarter; but since the hospitals began to accumulate large surplus funds, this practice has been discontinued. These funds have accrued from the three ordinary sources of income which all the State hospitals have : first, the board paid by the State for its patients, which is , drawn, at the rate of three dollars a week for each patient, from a general appro-](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21069669_0046.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
