Maryland. State Lunacy Commission.

The Lunacy Commission was created to supervise "all institutions, public, corporate or private, in which insane persons are detained" (Laws of 1886, ch. 487). Appointed by the governor, the commission consisted of the attorney general and four others, two of whom were required to be physicians. None of the members could have "any pecuniary interest" in institutions under the commission's supervision, and none by the secretary was compensated.

The commission's primary concern was the proper care of the insane. Twice a year, the secretary (who was a physician) or a designated commissioner were to "visit all public, corporate or private institutions, including almshouses where the insane [were] kept." Annually, the commission reported to the governor on the conditions of these institutions. The commission could also require reports from th institutions themselves. The commission paid close attention to the health of the patients and the conditions under which they lived and was especially critical of the use of any mechanical device to subdue patients. Besides the scheduled inspections, the commission was also "vested with all the functions and powers [of a] coronor" to investigate any cases of death at an institution under their jurisdiction. In cases where a patient was improperly treated or confined, the commission could issue subpoenas and judge evidence with the same powers as a Justice of the Peace. In addition, the commission was authorized to license private asylums, retreats, or homes for the care or custody of the insane.

Commission authority was strengthened in 1910 (Laws of 1910, ch. 715). The commission was empowered to "appoint a board of visitors for each county asylum and almshouse where the insane [were] confined;" evaluate the mental health of convicts when requested by the Maryland Penitentiary or House of Correction; and determine which patients were best served in a state hospital and which in a county asylum.

When state government was reorganized in 1922, the newly created Board of Mental Hygiene replaced the Lunacy Commission (Laws of 1922, ch. 29, art. vii).