Dorothea Lynde Dix, Activist

Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802 – 1887) was an American activist on behalf of the indigent insane who, through a vigorous program of lobbying state legislatures and the United States Congress, created the first generation of American mental asylums. The reputation as a famous nurse was earned by her fearless fight for the right of the mentally ill in front of Massachusetts legislators and of the United States Congress. Dix found herself in this battle due to her passion for teaching. She saw with her own eyes the dismal conditions of the mentally disabled people when she entered the East Cambridge Jail to teach Sunday class for women inmates on March 1842. Dix immediately brought the matter to courts, wherein she won many battles using careful and extensive data of extreme conditions in jails and almshouses, getting these poor individuals improved states.

Library of Congress

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http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a10000/3a12000/3a12200/3a12244r.jpg

Portrait of Dorothea Lynde Dix, head and shoulders, facing left.

Source: Dorothea Dix. (2012, October 9). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from http://bit.ly/RTNK09

Library of Congress

Library of Congress

Medium: Photograph

English

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Dorothea Lynde Dix, Activist, Women, Mental Health, Nursing

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