Dorothea Lynde Dix and 19th Century Social Reforms
Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) would become a well-known reformer in the United States who championed causes for both the mentally ill and indigenous populations. She discovered her life’s work when, after a succession of illnesses as a young woman working as a schoolteacher in Boston, her doctors encouraged her to travel abroad for her health. In Europe she met with ardent social reformers of the time, many of them concerned about the care of the mentally ill.
Returned to the States, Dix turned to an investigation of how the mentally ill were cared for in Massachusetts hospitals. After carefully documenting the shockingly inhumane treatment of patients she had observed, she submitted her report to the state legislature in 1843. One line from her report graphically conveys her feelings as well as findings: “I proceed, Gentlemen, briefly to call your attention to the present state of Insane Persons confined within this Commonwealth, in cages, stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten with rods, and lashed into obedience.” Dix visited other states as well and through her work as an energetic advocate for improved conditions, she influenced the establishment of 32 asylums with higher standards of care over the next 40 years. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Dix )
Another urgent need loomed large in the 1860s. The Civil War (1861-1865) brought increased awareness about illness, injury, disease, and loss of life across the United States both during and after the war. At the outset of the War, the Union had a much larger medical department than did the newly formed Confederate Army. Dix volunteered her services and soon after her arrival in Washington President Lincoln assigned her to be Superintendent of Union Army Nurses. Dix recruited nurses, organized the medical department, and implemented efforts to serve the wounded and ill soldiers. Dix coordinated efforts with the physician head of the Union Army Medical Corps, Joseph K. Barnes. Dix and Barnes corresponded with Florence Nightingale regarding the establishment of military hospitals based on her work in Scutari. Their inquiries led to The United States Sanitary Commission being established, modeled after the one encouraged by Florence Nightingale in Britain. Many civic groups also formed agencies to support those who were wounded or sick due to the Civil War.
Dix was known for her high standards for recruits and those working in the military hospitals. Inevitably, she had her critics who referred to her as “Dragon Dix” and “the meddler general” (Bostridge 2008, 362). These high standards were, however, essential to developing respect for the evolving professional role of nurses. (See also Norwood, Arlisha 2017, “Dorothea Dix,” https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/dorothea-dix.)
