As part of our blog series about women medical pioneers, meet Dorothea Dix, the woman who brought humanitarian reform to mental health care.
Time for Change
“In a world where there is so much to be done, I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do”
During the 19th Century, mental health disorders were not recognised as treatable conditions. They were perceived as a sign of madness, and those affected were imprisoned in appalling conditions and suffered the most despicable injustices.
When Dorothea Dix volunteered to teach a Sunday School for female inmates at a jail, she was utterly horrified. She witnessed starvation, abuse, and chaining of naked women with mental illness to beds.
Having previously suffered from depression herself, Dorothea resolved to change the perceptions and treatment of people with mental health disorders. She became a powerful campaigner for social reform, and her influence brought about national change.
A Teacher & Author
Dorothea was born in Hampden, Maine. Her father was a bookseller and Methodist preacher but also an alcoholic who could be abusive. Her mother suffered from poor health and depression and was unable to provide consistent support for Dorothea and her 2 younger siblings.
At the age of 12, Dorothea ran away to live with her wealthy grandmother in Boston. Being bright and ambitious, she avidly engaged in the education she was given there, and by the age of 14 began teaching in a school for girls in Worcester, Massachusetts.
She devised her own curriculum with an emphasis on ethical living and natural sciences. At the age of 19, she opened a private school in Boston. In the evenings she taught poor children, free of charge, in the barn at her grandmother’s house.
She wrote several popular books including “Conversations on Common Things” which emphasised the importance of educating girls to the same standard as boys.
Campaigning
In 1836, due to ill health (possibly tuberculosis), Dorothea was advised to travel to Europe for a period of recuperation. In London, she met social reformers Elizabeth Fry and Samuel Tuke, who were active campaigners for humane treatment of prisoners and the mentally ill.
As a result of her grandmother’s wealth and her travels, Dorothea was now well-connected. On her return to the US, she was able to influence senior politicians, describing the deplorable scenes she had observed first-hand.
Dorothea campaigned in every state for 40 years. A new bill was passed to reform treatment of the mentally ill and 30 new mental health hospitals were created in the United States.
She also founded 15 schools for people with learning disabilities, a school for the blind, and numerous training facilities for nurses. Her work extended to Canada, Scotland, and Russia.
