Mental Asylums/Institutions: Industrialization Project by Heather Wurth

Nellie Bly's back story

s146674 — 2025-02-11 18:20:42 UTC

On the 22d of September nellie was asked by the World if she could have herself committed to one of the asylums for the insane in New York, with a view to writing a plain and unvarnished narrative of the treatment of the patients therein and the methods of management.

Blackwell's island

s146674 — 2025-02-11 18:29:32 UTC

Blackwell’s Island, now known as Roosevelt Island, has a significant history tied to disability, incarceration, and public welfare. This island housed asylums, prisons, hospitals, and almshouses, reflecting past societal treatment of marginalized populations. Nellie Bly’s exposé, helped bring attention to the inhumane conditions on the island. While many of the original buildings have fallen into ruin, their historical significance is recognized through landmark designations, preserving the island’s legacy in disability and welfare history.

what was it like

s146674 — 2025-02-11 18:32:29 UTC

Nellie Bly documents her undercover investigation into the conditions at the Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum. Posing as a mentally ill woman, she experiences the harsh treatment of patients and the mismanagement of the facility. Her report leads to increased funding for the care of the mentally ill. Bly's work sheds light on the cruelty and neglect faced by the insane and emphasizes the need for reform.

s146674 — 2025-02-12 17:37:07 UTC

Blackwell’s Island received national attention after investigative journalist Nellie Bly, born as Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, published a report of her time in the Women’s Lunatic Asylum. The 1887 book, Ten Days in a Madhouse, chronicled the abuses that Bly encountered after she went undercover as a mentally ill patient at Blackwell’s Island. While the male patients had been transferred to a new facility on Ward’s Island, the now-women’s asylum remained overcrowded. Bly described cold baths, filthy living conditions, spoiled food, and physical abuse from caretakers. This exposé pressured Blackwell’s asylum and other facilities to consider more humane treatment options for patients.

s146674 — 2025-02-12 17:48:24 UTC