They have been discussing TB hospitals on the Cheshire list and someone posted this. It turns out it is from wiki. But it fits with something I remember about Edinburgh charitable institutions. The implication is that recommending inmates was a perk that came with making a donation or serving on the board. Judy " > > The hospital was a charity and >> Admittance was to be by the then customary method of >> recommendation by >> the Governors and subscribers. >> Funding >> In common with other hospitals at the time, the hospital was to be >> financed entirely from charitable donations, legacies and fund >> raising. Philip Rose, the founder, travelled the country to explain >> the aims of the hospital, setting up 14 provincial associations, 157 >> churches promised to preach special sermons as a means of fund >> raising. The famous singer, Jenny Lind also gave concerts, including >> one at Her Majesty's Theatre in July 1848, which raised £1,606. >> Besides Philip Rose, the early supporters included William Augustus >> Guy, Charles Dickens, and Queen Victoria, who became a patron, >> with an >> annual subscription of £10. > > So people would be recommended and paid for by charitable funds. > > "