unable to go or send for the medicines, and if the medical officers cannot forward them without employing special messengers for the purpose, it becomes the duty of the relieving officers to provide for the conveyance of the medicine to the paupers, who must in no case be left without the medicine prescribed for them by the medical officer.

A medical officer is not bound to attend any pauper case without a regular order; but if he be sent for and he attends the case without an order, or treats the patient as being under his care, he will be held responsible for any neglect which may occur, and will not be permitted to plead, in justification, the want of an order.

Articles 75 and 76 provide a mode of obtaining medical relief by permanent paupers, namely, by the production of a ticket to the medical officer. In all other cases a fresh order for the medical officer's attendance is necessary on each occasion of sickness, unless the circumstances of the case be so urgent as not to admit of the delay necessarily attendant upon the obtaining of an order.

An overseer of the poor is bound to administer relief in cases of "sudden and urgent necessity;" his order to the medical officer to attend a case of sickness which is of "sudden and urgent necessity" is therefore of equal force with the order of the relieving officer. If the medical officer should refuse to attend, upon the order of an overseer, on the plea that the case is not one of "sudden and urgent necessity," he must be prepared to justify his refusal on that ground; but in general it would be advisable for him to attend the case, and afterwards to represent the facts to the board of guardians, and take their directions as to his further attendance.

A medical officer is not empowered by the orders of the poor law commissioners, or by his contract with the board of guardians, to order food or articles of diet, as meat, milk, wine, or porter, for his pauper patients. Any direction which he may give to that effect will only amount to an expression of opinion on his part, that relief, in food or other necessaries, is required. The medical officer's opinion so expressed, is, however, entitled to the greatest weight; and the relieving officer is, in the intervals between the meeting of the board of guardians, bound by the 5th rule relating to his duties to supply food or other necessaries so recommended by the medical officer.

If any pauper refuses to adopt the remedies prescribed for his disease, the medical officer should report such fact to the board of guardians, and continue his attendance on the pauper, or at all events watch the case till he obtains the directions of the guardians for his future guidance in regard to it. So also if the pauper calls in another medical man, the medical officer before he ceases to attend, should make it clearly understood that he is willing to continue his services if the case be left to him, and he should report the facts to the guardians at their next meeting.

By the 8 & 9 Vict. c. 126, s. 55, every medical officer is required to visit, every three months, every pauper lunatic chargeable to any parish in his district, and not being in an asylum or a re

gistered hospital, and to send lists of all such lunatics, once in every three months, to the clerk of the peace for the county or borough to which the lunatic shall belong, or in which he shall be resident; to the visitors of the asylum; and to the commissioners in lunacy. The poor law commissioners have stated that, in their opinion, it will be most convenient to make these returns at the end of each three months, and with reference to the word "belong," as used in the section above alluded to, the commissioners in lunacy have stated as follows:

The commissioners in lunacy apprehend that the word "belong" will be satisfied by holding that the medical officer of the union within which the pauper resides, and through the relieving officer of which, as the commissioners assume, the weekly payments are made, is the proper medical officer to visit the pauper.

A medical officer is not now competent to give the certificate necessary for the detention of a pauper lunatic in a licensed house or hospital, or county asylum, even though the pauper be in another district of the union (8 & 9 Vict. c. 100, s. 47, and 8 & 9 Vict. c. 126, s. 48); but his substitute, appointed under Art. 200 of the general consolidated order, or his partner, (if such substitute or partner be not himself a medical officer of the union), may give such certificate, and he will be entitled to be paid for it as for an act done in his private capacity.

IV.-MEDICAL OFFICER FOR THE WORKHOUSE. The following are the duties of this officer:

No. 1. To attend at the workhouse at the periods fixed by the guardians, and also when sent for by the master or matron. No. 2. To attend duly and punctually upon all poor persons in the workhouse requiring medical attendance, and according to his agreement, to supply the requisite medicines to such persons. No. 3. To examine the state of the paupers on their admission into the workhouse, and to give the requisite directions to the master according to articles 91 and 92.

No. 4. To give directions and make suggestions as to the diet, classification, and treatment of the sick paupers, and paupers of unsound mind, and to report to the guardians any pauper of unsound mind in the workhouse whom he may deem to be dangerous, or fit to be sent to a lunatic asylum.

No. 5. To give all necessary instructions as to the diet or treatment of children, and women suckling children, and to vaccinate such of the children as may require vaccination. No. 6. To report in writing to the guardians any defect in the diet, drainage, ventilation, warmth, or other arrangements of the workhouse, or any excess in the number of any class of inmates, which he may deem to be detrimental to the health of the inmates.

No. 7. To report in writing to the guardians any defect which he may observe in the arrangements of the infirmary, and in the performance of their duties by the nurses of the sick.

No. 8. To make a return to the guardians, at each ordinary meeting, in a book prepared for the purpose, and to insert therein the date of every attendance, in conformity with Art. 205, and the other particulars required by such form to be inserted by the medical officer, and to enter in such return the death of every pauper who shall die in the workhouse, together with the apparent cause thereof.

No. 9. To enter in the commencement of such book the proper dietary for the sick paupers in the house in so many different scales as he shall deem expedient.

It is only required that a statement of the apparent cause of death should be inserted in the return referred to in the rule No. 8. In no case, is a post mortem examination of the body of a pauper dying in a workhouse, to take place merely for the purpose of satisfying the rule. Excepting by direction of a coroner when holding an inquest, or of the board of guardians for any special, urgent, and peculiar reason, which they may deem of sufficient importance to render such an examination necessary, or at the request of the nearest relatives of the deceased, the medical officer would not be justified in making a post mortem examination. would the guardians be justified in directing, in any particular case, that such an examination should take place, if the nearest relatives of the deceased objected clearly and decisively to that course.

V.-MASTER OF THE WORKHOUSE.

Nor

This officer must be of the full age of twenty-one years, and be able to keep accounts, especially those appertaining to his office, which are prescribed in the general order of accounts of the poor law commissioners of the 17th March, 1847. If he, as well as any other resident workhouse officer, be without incumbrances, all other things being equal, he should be preferred for the appointment, as the introduction of an officer's children into the house almost invariably leads to disorganization and disturbances. Before resigning his office, he must give one month's notice to the guardians, or forfeit one month's salary. If he have been appointed subsequently to the general consolidated order of 24th July, 1847, along with his wife, as matron, and if either of them die, the survivor is to vacate his or her office at the expiration of the then current quarter. But the survivor is eligible for re-election, if the guardians think fit to have parties who are not man and wife a master and matron, an arrangement, however, which for many reasons is not desirable.

The 13 & 14 Vict. c. 101, s. 6, disqualifies a master of a workhouse from being appointed an overseer of the poor, constable, or to any parochial office; and by the 9th section of the same statute persons assaulting a master of a workhouse in the due execution of his duty are liable to the same punishment as is provided by law for an assault upon a peace or revenue officer,

The master's duties are:

No. 1. To admit paupers into the workhouse, in obedience to specified orders, and also every person applying for admission who may appear to him to require relief through any sudden or urgent necessity, and to cause every pauper, upon admission, to be examined by the medical officer.

No. 2. To cause every male pauper above the age of seven years, upon admission, to be searched, cleansed, and clothed, and to be placed in the proper ward.

No. 3. To enforce industry, order, punctuality, and cleanliness, and the observance of all regulations for the government of the workhouse by the paupers, and by the several officers, assistants, and servants therein.

No. 4. To read prayers to the paupers before breakfast, and after supper every day, or cause prayers to be read.

No. 5. To cause the paupers to be inspected, and their names called over, in order that it may be seen that each individual is clean and in a proper state.

No. 6. To provide for, and enforce the employment of, the ablebodied adult paupers, during the hours of labour; to assist in training the youths in such employment as will best fit them for gaining their own living; to keep the partially disabled paupers, occupied to the extent of their ability; and to allow none who are capable of employment, to be idle at any time. No. 7. To visit the sleeping wards of the male paupers at eleven o'clock in the forenoon of every day, and see that such wards have been all duly cleansed and are properly ventilated.

No. 8. To see that the meals of the paupers are duly provided, dressed, and served, and to superintend the distribution of the food.

No. 9. To say, or cause to be said, grace before and after meals.

No. 10. To visit all the wards of the male paupers before nine o'clock every night in winter, and ten o'clock in summer, and see that all the male paupers are in bed, and that all fires and lights therein are extinguished, except so far as may be necessary for the sick.

No. 11. To receive from the porter the keys of the workhouse at nine o'clock every night, and to deliver them to him again at six o'clock every morning, or at such hours as shall from time to time be fixed by the guardians.

No. 12. To see that the male paupers are properly clothed, and that their clothes are kept in proper repair.

No. 13. To cause the birth of every child born in the workhouse to be registered by the registrar of births and deaths within the space of one week after such child shall have been born; and also to enter such birth in a register.

No. 14. To send for the medical officer in case any pauper is taken ill or becomes insane, and to take care that all sick and insane paupers are duly visited by the medical officer, and are provided with such medicines and attendance, diet and other necessaries, as the medical officer or the guardians direct, and to apprise the nearest relation in the workhouse of the sickness of any pauper, and, in the case of dangerous sickness, to send for the chaplain, and any relative or friend of the pauper, resident within a reasonable distance, whom the pauper may desire to see.

No. 15. To take care that no pauper at the approach of death shall be left unattended either during the day or the night. No. 16. To give immediate information of the death of any pauper in the workhouse, to the medical officer, and to the nearest relations of the deceased who may be known to him, and who may reside within a reasonable distance; and if the body be not removed within a reasonable time, to provide for the interment thereof.

No. 17. When requisite, to cause the death of every pauper dying in the workhouse to be duly registered by the registrar of births and deaths within five days after the day of such death, and also to enter such deaths in a register.

No. 18. To deliver an inventory of the clothes and other property of any pauper who may have died in the workhouse, to the guardians at their next ordinary meeting.

No. 19. To keep a portion of the workhouse medical relief book, and to keep all books or accounts which he is, or hereafter may be, by any order of the commissioners, directed and required to keep; to allow the same to be constantly open to the inspection of any of the guardians of the union; and to submit the same to the guardians at their ordinary meetings.

No. 20. To submit to the guardians, at every ordinary meeting an estimate of such provisions and other articles as are rebuired for the use of the workhouse, and to receive and execute the directions of the guardians thereupon.

No. 21. To receive all provisions and other articles purchased or procured for the use of the workhouse, and before placing them in store, to examine and compare them with the bills of parcels or invoices severally relating thereto; and after having proved the accuracy of such bills or invoices, to authenticate the same with his signature, and submit them to the guardians at their next ordinary meeting.

No. 22. To receive and take charge of all provisions, clothing, linen, and other articles belonging to the workhouse, or confided to his care by the guardians, and issue the same to the matron or other persons as may be required.

No. 23. To report to the guardians from time to time the names of such children as the schoolmaster may recommend as fit to be put out to service, or other employment, and to