190 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

of the Code of Public General Laws of Maryland of 1904, title
"Lunatics and Insane," said seven additional sections to come
in and immediately follow after Section 38 of said Article 59
and to be known, respectively, as Sections 38A, 38B, 38C, 38D,
38E, 38F and 38G, and to read, respectively, as follows:

38A. The Lunacy Commission shall divide the State of
Maryland into such number of hospital districts which, in its
discretion, the Commission may deem advisable for the proper
care and custory of the insane. Whenever the Lunacy Com-
mission shall deem it necessary to more conveniently care for
the insane in the various hospitals, it may change the limits of
such hospital districts. The Commission shall notify the Coun-
ty Commissioners of each county of the limits of the various
districts.

38B. The Lunacy Commission, whenever it shall determine
that any patient cared for at public expense and confined in
any private or corporate institution or asylum, or in any alms-
house, who is violent or whose case is acute, and said Commis-
sion shall be of the opinion, after a thorough investigation,
that said patient can be better cared for in a State hospital
with better hopes of recovery, it may remove said patient to
the proper State hospital at the expense of the county wherein
the patient was found at that time. And whenever said Com-
mission shall find anyone in a State hospital whose condition
shall have become chronic or who is likely to do as well in a
county asylum as in a State hospital, it may order the county
to which the maintenance of said patient is chargeable to re-
move him or her to some county asylum which shall have com-
plied with the rules of said Commission relative to the keeping
of insane patients, but in no case shall a patient in a State
hospital be thus transferred, except upon the written consent
of his or her immediate relatives. It shall be unlawful to con
vey any woman patient to any institution, asylum, hospital
home or retreat for the insane, or to transfer any woman pa-
tient from or to any such place, except such woman patient be
accompanied by some relative, friend or nurse of the same sex.
This shall not apply to any woman patient accompanied by her
father, husband or adult brother or son.

38c. Whenever in the opinion of any medical superintend-
ent or chief medical officer of any institution, hospital, asylum,
home or retreat for the insane it may be for the benefit of any
patient to grant such patient leave of absence or parole, on
trial, such parole may be granted for a period not exceeding
thirty days upon application in writing, indorsed by the rela-
tives, friends or other persons at whose instance the said pa-
tient was first committed, and who shall obligate themselves