B.T?. 
 
 
 | II m .-(. : 
 
 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, February 12,1863. Read 
 first and second times and i to Committee on Medical Depart- 
 
 ment. February _M, I i k, committee discharged, 
 
 laid on table and ord< i 
 
 f By Mr. Clark, of (< 
 
 A. BILL 
 
 Regulating the granting furloughs and discharges in Hospitals, 
 
 1 Section 1 . The Congress of the Cat) federate Stales of America do 
 
 2 enact, That sick, wouxuied, and disabled soldiers in Hospitals, 
 
 3 shall be entitled to furloughs and discharges under the following 
 
 4 rules and regulations : All Hospitals having patients to the 
 
 5 number of six hundred, or upwards, shall organize a Board of 
 (! Examiners from the Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons in charge 
 
 7 of said Hospital — -which Board shall consist of not less than 
 
 8 three, nor more than five — and whose duty it shall be to examine 
 
 9 applicants for furlouglu and discharges. And in all cases when 
 
 10 they shall find the applicant for furlough, unfit for military duty, 
 
 1 1 either from disease or wounds, and who in their opinion is likely 
 11 to remain so unfit for duty for the period of thirty days or longer, 
 
2 
 
 * 
 
 13 the said Board shall grant a furlough to such applicant for such 
 
 14 time as they shall adjudge him unfit for duty, in no cafe to exceed 
 \o sixty day a. 
 
 1 Sec. '2. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of said 
 
 2 Board to examine applicants for discharge, and when they shall 
 
 3 determine that the applicant, cither from disease or wounds, is 
 
 4 permanently unfit for military duty, they shall grant a discharge. 
 
 1 Six. 3. B? it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the 
 
 2 Board to keep a Secretary, who shall issue all furloughs and 
 
 3 discharges by order of the Board, and shall specify therein the 
 
 4 place of residence of the soldier, the company, regiment and 
 
 5 brigade in which he performed military service. And in case of 
 
 6 furloughs, the time for which the same was granted, shall be in- 
 
 7 serted. In discharges, the disease or vtvound, on which the dis- 
 H charge was based. 
 
 1 Sec. 4. Be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of the 
 
 2 Board through its Secretary each day to report fully to the com- 
 
 3 manding officer in the military district in which the Hospital is 
 
 4 located, a list of the furloughs and discharges granted on the 
 
 5 day previous. , 
 
 1 Sec 5. Be it farther enacted, That when the Hospitals of any 
 
 2 place do not respectively contain the number of six hundred 
 
 3 patients, it shall be the duty of the Surgeons in charge of two or 
 
 4 more of such Hospitals nearest each other, to unite in forming a 
 
3 
 
 5 Board of Examiners, with the same powers as set out in section one 
 
 6 (1), and such Board so constituted, shall be the examiners of all 
 
 7 and each Hospital represented on the Board. 
 
 1 Skc. 6. Be it further enacted, That in places where there is 
 
 2 but one Hospital, and when the number of patients do not reach 
 
 3 six hundred, the Medical Director shall appoint one or more 
 
 4 fit and proper persons to associate with the Surgeon in charge, 
 
 and these shall fill the Board from the Assistant Surgeons on 
 b' duty in said Hospital, and which Board so constituted, shall 
 
 7 have the same powers as set out in the preceding sections of this 
 
 8 bill. 
 
 1 Skc. 7. Be it further emitted, That it shall be the duty of the 
 
 2 Secretary of the Board to procure for all discharged and fur- 
 
 3 loughed soldiers, passports, transportation or any other rights or 
 
 4 privileges to which he may be entitled. 
 
 1 Sec S. Be it further enacted, That it sliaH be the duty of the 
 
 2 Board in granting discharges and furloughs, to order in cases of 
 
 3 discharge, that the soldier at the erfft of three months, report 
 1 himself to the enrolling officer nearest his residence. And in 
 
 5 case of furlough, that the soldier report to his company at or 
 
 6 before the end of his furlough, and on failure so to do, on account 
 [7 of continued unfitness for duty, that he then repprt to the en- 
 
 8 rolling officer of his district. 
 
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