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Sec. 2 of the Act accordingly enables the Local Government Board to
declare that one of the Authorities to execute and enforce the Board's
regulations made with a view to the treatment of persons affected with
cholera or any other epidemic, endemic, or infectious disease, shall be
the Council of a County, and Sec. 130 of the Act of 1875, will have
effect accordingly, as if a County Council were an Authority within the
meaning of that section.
The Mental Deficiency Act, 1913.
This Act comes into operation on April 1st, 1914. As it is a
measure of great social importance it has been felt that a short summary
of some of its more important provisions may be of value.
It is divided into four parts, which are sub-divided into 72 sections.
The four parts deal with the following :—
Part I.—Power and manner of dealing with defectives.
Part II.—Central and local authorities.
Part III.—Certification and provision of institutions.
Part IV.—General.
Definitions of those classes of persons who are defectives within
the meaning of the Act:—
(a) Idiots : that is to say, persons so deeply defective in mind from
birth or from an early age as to be unable to guard themselves
against common physical dangers.
(b) Imbeciles : That is to say, persons in whose case there exists
from birth or from an early age mental defectiveness not amounting
to idiocy, yet so pronounced that they are incapable of managing
themselves or their affairs, or, in the case of children, of being
taught to do so.
(c) Feeble-minded persons : that is to say, persons in whose case
there exists from birth or from an early age mental defectiveness
not amounting to imbecility, yet so pronounced that they require
care, supervision, and control for their own protection or for the
protection of others, or, in the case of children, that they by reason
of such defectiveness appear to be permanently incapable of
receiving proper benefit from the instruction in ordinary schools.
(d) Moral Imbeciles : that is to say, persons who from an early
age display some permanent mental defect coupled with strong
vicious or criminal propensities on which punishment has had little
or no deterrent effect.
THE CENTRAL AUTHORITY OR BOARD OF CONTROL.
The board of control shall consist of not more than fifteen commissioners,
of whom not more than twelve shall be paid. Of the paid
commissioners four shall be lawyers and four doctors, and at least one
of the paid and one of the unpaid commissioners shall be a woman.
The board will appoint a secretary, inspectors and officers.