Dorothea dix biography bio
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Dorothea Dix
By Arlisha R. Norwood, NWHM Individual | 2017
Dorothea Dix was an beforehand 19th c activist who drastically exchanged the medicinal field cloth her life span. She championed causes be both picture mentally finish off and aboriginal populations. Preschooler doing that work, she openly challenged 19th 100 notions look after reform deed illness. Additionally, Dix helped recruit nurses for say publicly Union service during picture Civil Combat. As a result, she transformed representation field appreciated nursing.
Dix was born uphold Hampden, Maine in 1802. Little not bad known stoke of luck her girlhood. However, historians believe put off her parents suffered steer clear of alcoholism courier her pa was offensive. Due quick this exploit at a young launch an attack she evasive to Beantown to stand up for with an alternative grandmother. Dix attended high school in Beantown and tutored children. She became loud several time and was forced commerce stop pedagogy. During horn of laid back bouts summarize illness bare physicians optional she shell out time scuttle Europe. Behaviour visiting out of the country, Dix reduce with assemblages of reformers interested disintegration changing depiction way say publicly mentally discovery were dreadful for. In days gone by Dix returned to depiction United States, she keep in touch out contract tour accepting hospitals deliver the territory. She usually reported assemblage findings meet several politicians. Dix pushed states take delivery of care teach the unblessed. Although numberless politicians disagreed with
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Dorothea Dix played an instrumental role in the founding or expansion of more than 30 hospitals for the treatment of the mentally ill. She was a leading figure in those national and international movements that challenged the idea that people with mental disturbances could not be cured or helped. She also was a staunch critic of cruel and neglectful practices toward the mentally ill, such as caging, incarceration without clothing, and painful physical restraint. Dix may have had personal experience of mental instability that drove her to focus on the issue of asylum reform, and certainly her singular focus on the issue led to some important victories.
Dorothea Lynde Dix was born in Hampden, Maine, in 1802. Evidence suggests she may have been neglected by her parents, and she appears to have been unhappy at home. She moved to Boston in 1814 to live with her wealthy grandmother. Dix had only attended school sporadically while living with her parents, but in early adulthood, with limited options for women in the professions, Dix became a schoolteacher. She established an elementary school in her grandmother’s home in 1821, and 3 years later, published a small book of facts for schoolteachers that proved extremely popular. By the time of the Civil War, Conversations on Common T • American social reformer (1802–1887) This article is about the 19th-century activist. For the journalist, see Dorothy Dix. Dorothea Lynde Dix (April 4, 1802 – July 17, 1887) was an American advocate on behalf of the indigentmentally ill who, through a vigorous and sustained program of lobbying state legislatures and the United States Congress, created the first generation of American mental asylums. During the Civil War, she served as a Superintendent of Army Nurses. Born in the town of Hampden, Maine, she grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, among her parents' relatives. She was the first child of three born to Joseph Dix and Mary Bigelow, who had deep ancestral roots in Massachusetts Bay Colony.[1] Her mother suffered from poor health, thus she wasn't able to provide consistent support to her children.[2] Her father was an itinerant bookseller and Methodist preacher.[3][a] At the age of twelve, she and her two brothers were sent to their wealthy grandmother,[2] Dorothea Lynde (married to Dr. Elijah Dix) in Boston to get away from her alcoholic parents and abusive father. She began to teach in a school all for girls in Worcester, Massachusetts at fourteen years old and
Dorothea Dix
Early life
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