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Well known educator and social reformer whose devotion to the welfare of the mentally ill led to widespread international reforms.

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As a child she grew up in a dysfunctional family with an emotionally absent mother and an abusive father. Due to this environment, she developed awareness to the hardships others suffered as she had also been subjected to much abuse as a little girl.

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References

Dorothea Dix. (2014, July 24). Retrieved February 05, 2017, from http://www.biography.com/people/dorothea-dix-9275710

History.com Staff. (2009). Dorothea Lynde Dix. Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/dorothea-lynde-dix

Who is Dorothea Dix? Everything You Need to Know. (n.d.). Retrieved February 05, 2017, from http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/dorothea-dix-5377.php#KlC5OEziE2psB1pO.99

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Described as "the most effective advocate of humanitarian reform in American mental institutions during the nineteenth century"

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Her efforts had created dozens of institutions in the United states and Europe for the mentally ill, changing peoples perceptions on this population. She also traveled to other countries to fight for this cause and worked hard to make the government and society realize the importance of treating the insane humanely.

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Dorothea Dix

April 4, 1802 - July 17, 1887.

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When the civil war began in 1863, Dix volunteered her services and was named superintendent of nurses. Her  responsibilities were to set  field hospitals and first-aid stations, recruiting nurses, managing supplies and setting up training programs. After  the war, she returned to her work on behalf of the mentally ill by aggressively traveling, writing and lobbying for her causes, as a social reformer.

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In 1842, Dix became a teacher at a local jail to teach the inmates. While there she became aware of the cruelties inflicted upon the insane, such as no heat in the living quarters. From then on, ensuring the welfare of the mentally unstable became her life’s aim. To resolve this issue, Dix presented a proposal to state legislature and expanded the budget. Dix establish humane asylums for the mentally ill in Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Maryland, Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina.