Dorothea Dix

Dorathea Dix

Dorathea Dix was a famous women that was known world wide for her work with mentally ill women, partly because of her efforts the number of mental hospitals rose from 13 in 1843 to 123 in 1880. she traveled all over the world, scottland, france, turkey, and russia, helping reform prisons and hospitals there.In five years she did more for the mentally ill in this country than the collective efforts of families, doctors, clergy, and concerned citizens during the previous 50 years.

Dorathea first noticed the horible way mentally ill woment were treated when she vistited a jail in massacusets in 1841. She was horifide of what she saw. She saw mentally ill women jailed with male criminals. She saw prisoners standing roped naked in the cells. she knew she needed to do something about it. Dix investagated conditions at other state prisons and insane aslums. She started by opening her first school when she was just 14, for eighteen years she ran two schools and wrote text books. After the war Dix continued working in ther hospital and reform work. Dorathea Dix is a hero to many mentally ill women. She would be proud to see how menally ill people and treated today.