The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-07-17
MEN. WOMEN
 AND THINGS


 bama Mental Deficiency bill. which was drafted by a committee of the Ala bama Society for Mental Hygiene. and introduced by MT. Ross of Jefferson.
 The bill which Is far reaching in it's effect provides for the establishing and maintenance of "The Alabama Home" for mentally inferior or feeble-minded persons, as well as for the commit ment, training, custody, parole and dis charge of mentally interiors.
 The home" is to be established upon or near the grounds of the Bryce his pital, at Tuscaloosa, to be controlled by a board of managers, composed of the governor, who shall be ex-officio a member the seven trustees of the Ala bama Insane Hospitals as now consti- tuted, and three other persons, two of whom shall be women.
 The superintendent of ''The Alabama Home" with and by the advice of the board of managers, will be appointed by the superintendent of the Alabama Insane Hospitals, and shall be respon- sible for it's management to him and may be removed by him, for just cause, the managers concurring therein; or by them, when set forth in writing and entered upon the minutes of the pro- ceedings of the board.
 The following are declared to be mental interiors or deficients, or fec ble- minded: All persons of whatsoever age, who are deficient or inferior to the extent of being classed in either | of the following groups of the feeble | minded: that is to say, idiots, imbeciles, l feeble- minded, or morons, and any Of l whom may be, or may not be, epileptics, but not violent or insane.
 l The terms feeble minded" and ment- al inferior or deficient" within the meaning of this act shall include every person with such degree of mental effectiveness from birth, or from an early age that he is unable to care for { him self and to manage his affairs with ] ordinary prudence, or that he is a menace to- the happiness or safety of himself or of others in the community and requires care. supervision, and con trol either for his own protection or for the protection of others.
 It is specifically recognized that the l ed constitute to the community lies in the frequency of the passing on of | mental defect from one generation to ] another. Any person within the above | named class, over the age of five years, and resident of the state of Alabama for more than a year, may be commit 1 ted to the home.
 1 The act sets out the manner of com specifically how relatives, guardians, or interested persons may proceed, and | it also throws safeguards around the rights of the individuals committed by prescribing that it shall be done after application to the judge of the Juve- nile court. If the party be under twenty one, when there is such court; and if I of age to the judge of the probate court.
 l Section 20. Whenever the superin- tendent of the hospitals is informed that a person confined in a poorhouse a jail, an orphanage or a boarding school in the state of Alabama. who should be a resident of the home, il shall be his duty to examine in persor or through the superintendent of the home, or by other proper deputy, every such person, and if such person i: found to be mental inferior or feeble minded person as herein defined anC otherwise eligible for admission to the home, he must make an order transfer ring such mental inferior from sucf poorhouse. orphanage, reformatory, ol boarding school to the home, and the judge of probate of the county from which the defective persons comes shal provide the means necessary to trans
 port such defective person to the home
 
 have given the above data in orde
 to lead up to section 10, around whicl
 a difference of opinion will arise: Th'
 superintendent of the home with thu
 advice and consent of the superinten
 dent of the Alabama Insane hospital
 shall prescribe for the treatment of thu
 inmates of the home. and if after con
 sultation the superintendent of th home and the superintendent of tn
 Alabama Insane hospitals deem it advis able they are hereby authorized ant empowered to sterilize any inmate. |
 In letter signed by w. D. Partlow
 secretary treasurer of the Alabama So
 ciety for Mental Hygiene; and S. W , Welch, state health officer are the fol
 lowing paragraphs;
 , ! Alabama is one of only ten state
 which make no provision for those per
 sons who are born with so little capa
 city for developing minds that the.
 can never take proper care of them
 selves These people are not mentan.
 sick. They are simply deficient The, cannot be cured. They do not belons , in the Alabama Insane hospitals. The.
 are nuisance in schools, because the, cannot learn. They drift into immor ality and crime. because they have no . sense enough to exercise the self-con trol required of citizens. As paupers r prostitutes, and criminals. the rest O
 us have to pay for their support The feeble-minded increase rapidly
 Feahle- minded ypothars haxa faahla