§ 30. Mr. R. RICHARDSONasked the Minister of Health if he is aware that a communication was recently sent to the Board of Control by a bench of magistrates commenting on the lack of a proper scrutiny exercised by that Board into the grounds upon which persons are committed to asylums, instancing the case of a Mrs. Mary de Freville, who was committed last month on a Dr. Dill's certificate to Gloucester County Asylum, placed in a padded cell and, when examined by the doctor in charge, sent home as perfectly sane; and, in view of the fact that the Board has itself admitted in its Report for 1923 that 22 cases committed in the previous year were found to be sane on admission, will he give directions that certification in all these cases should be declared invalid and their names erased from the roll of lunatics, in order to protect them from the detriment attaching to the stigma of lunacy?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINMrs. de Freville was admitted to the Gloucester Mental Hospital on the 9th ultimo on the 2300 authority of an order made by a Justice of the Peace. Copies of the reception documents were received by the Board of Control on the 14th ultimo, with an intimation that the patient had been discharged on the 11th, the medical superintendent being of opinion that she was not then of unsound mind. There is no question of any lack of proper scrutiny by the Board, because the patient was, in fact, discharged three days before the documents reached the Board. I should, however, state that in the opinion of the Board the facts observed by the certifying doctor at the time of his examination appear to have afforded ample ground for the conclusion that the patient was at the time of unsound mind and in need of care and control. With regard to the latter part of the question, it is erroneous to assume because symptoms of insanity are not found on admission that, therefore, those symptoms were not present at the time of certification and that the patient was improperly certified. It is not possible to invalidate the certification of the persons referred to in the question. They were sent to mental hospitals under proper legal authority and on discharge their names were removed from the list of certified patients. I appreciate, however, that some amendment of the law may be desirable to facilitate the provisional observation and treatment, without full certification, of doubtful or transitory cases of mental disturbance and this will be considered in connection with the recommendations of the Royal Commission whose Report has just been issued.
§ Mr. RICHARDSONWhile thanking the right hon. Gentleman for his answer, may I in connection with the last part of the question, urge upon him the necessity of having these names expunged, considering the large amount of injury which would be done to the people whose names appear on the roll as insane because their social position would be jeopardised by it?
§ Lieut.-Colonel FREMANTLECan the right hon. Gentleman say whether there is any chance of that legislation being brought in next Session.