Chap. 31.—An ACT to establish the Virginia State epileptic colony.
Approved February 16, 1910.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That there shall
be, and is hereby, created and established the Virginia State epileptic
colony, on the Willis farm, of about one thousand acres, in Amherst
county, near the city of Lynchburg, conveyed to the Western State hos-
pital by deed from Bessie E. Willis and husband and others, of March
tenth, nineteen hundred and nine, of record in the office of the clerk of
the circuit court of Amherst county.

The said Virginia State epileptic colony shall be managed by a spe-
cial board of directors, to be appointed as provided by section sixteen
hundred and sixty-two of the Code, as amended, the terms of office of said
directors to begin March first, nineteen hundred and ten. Said board of
directors shall, within one month after the beginning of their terms, mect
and organize, and as soon as they have met and organized, the board of
directors of the Western State hospital shall, under the supervision of
the general board of directors for the control and management of all the
State hospitals, and by and with the advice and services of the attorney-
general, transfer and convey by deed and other proper instruments of
transfer, to the said Virginia State epileptic colony, all of the property,
both real and personal, including the said Willis farm, of about one thou-
sand acres, and including all moneys heretofore appropriated to the West-
ern State hospital, for an epileptic colony, and not already expended,
held by the said Western State hospital, or by the said general board of
directors, for epileptic colony purposes.

When the said colony shall be ready for the reception and care of
patients, and as rapidly as suitable accommodation can be provided, the
white epileptic patients from the other hospitals for the white insane, and
such other white epileptics as may be committed according to law, shall,
under the direction of the said general board, be transferred to and re-
ceived as patients in said colony. As far as practicable, those patients
who would be of the greatest service to the colony, or who would be most
likely to receive benefit from the colony care, shall, as far as practicable,
be first removed from the several hospitals for the white insane. When-
ever there is room in the colony, no white epileptic who has been duly
committed shall be received into any of the other State hospitals for the
insane.

All the provisions of chapter seventy-five of the Code of Virginia
and the acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto in relation
to the admission of patients to the hospitals for the white insane of this
State, including the proceedings to determine their insanity and all
other subjects embraced therein, not in conflict with the provisions of
this act, and all the provisions of said Code and acts amendatory thereof,
in relation to the government and operation and duties of the commis-
sioner and the board of directors of State hospitals, so far as the same
may not conflict with the provisions of this act, shall, so far as practica-
ble, apply in the construction, organization, maintenance, control and
eperation of the colony hereby created and established, and all the powers
and duties now or hereafter conferred or devolved by law upon circuit
and corporation judges and the justices of the peace and other officers and
examining physicians of this State in relation to the commitment of
white persons to some hospital for the insane, shall, as far as practicable,
apply to the persons committed or to be examined for commitment to
the colony hereby established, and all the powers and duties conferred or
devolved by law upon the said judges, justices of the peace and other
officers and examining physicians are hereby conferred, devolved and
charged upon said judge, justices of the peace and other officers and ex-
amining physicians as to the proceedings and judicial inquirics, orders,
judgments and commitment for the admission as patients of persons to
said colony hereby created.

The special board of directors of the said Virginia State epileptic
colony shall build, equip and organize said colony and receive such pa-
tients from the other State hospitals as can be provided for as soon as
possible, and said special board is hereby authorized and directed to em-
ploy such temporary officers and employees as may in their judgment be
required, and fix their compensation until the colony 1s ready to be made
a part of the general hospital system of the State, when the same shall
be turned over to the general] board, which shall be done at the time of the
regular appointment of the officers of the State hospital, on April fif-
teenth, nineteen hundred and eleven, as provided by law: provided, said
colony is ready at that time, and if not then ready, as soon thereafter as
practicable.

2. An emergency existing by reason of the fact that the terms of office
of the members of the special board of directors above provided for are
to begin March first, nineteen hundred and ten, this act shall be in force
from its passage.