WM. PRESTON LANE, JR., GOVERNOR. 1641

the State. It shall also be the duty of said Department, and
it is hereby given full powers for the purpose, to make in-
vestigations and examinations into and respecting and con-
cerning all institutions, public or private, or whether the
same be incorporated or be conducted or controlled by in-
dividuals, which may be authorized by law to receive and
care for insane persons, and to inquire into the nature and
methods of detention, treatment, government and manage-
ment of all persons therein confined, detained or treated.
Said Department shall also investigate and examine into the
condition of all buildings, grounds and other property con-
nected with any such institution or institutions, and into
all matters relating to their maintenance, conduct and man-
agement, for such purpose or purposes any representative or
representatives of said Department shall have free access to
the grounds, buildings, equipment and appurtenances and all
books and papers relating to patients confined in any such
institution, or institutions, and to said patients themselves.
All persons connected with any such institution shall give
such information and afford such facilities for any such
examination or inquiry as the Department may require. The
Department shall encourage scientific investigations by the
medical staffs of the various institutions under its super-
vision, and to this end may, in its discretion, publish from
time to time bulletins and reports of the scientific and busi-
ness work done therein, and may prescribe to the superin-
tendent and managers of the several institutions under its
supervision the forms of and periods covered by the statis-
tical returns to be made by them in their annual report to
the Department. One or more representatives of the Depart-
ment appointed for the purpose by the Department shall
visit all public, corporate and private institutions, alms-
houses or county asylums where the insane or feeble-minded
are kept, at least once in every six months. The Department
of Mental Hygiene shall cause to be ascertained by actual
examination or inquiry whether the laws relating to the per-
sons in custody in said institutions and to those in control
thereof are properly observed, shall give such directions as
will insure correctness in the returns required relative to
them, and may use such means as may be necessary to collect
all desired information. Such visits shall be made on such
days and such hours of the day or night, and for such length
of time as the representative or representatives of the De-
partment may choose. The representative or representatives
of the Department shall carefully inspect every part of the
institution visited in reference to its cleanliness and sanitary
conditions, the number of patients in seclusion or restraint,
the dietary and treatment of the patients, and any other mat-