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Conflict and Compromise: Dorothea Dix Advocating For The Mental Health Reform of The

Nineteenth Century

Elizabeth Murphy

Senior Division

Historical Paper

Paper Length: 1,592 Words

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Dorothea Dix, helping to cure other people as part of the Civil War medic team and

working hard as the main figure of the mental health reform, struggled with physical and mental

health issues of her own. Due to her evidently personal experience with poor health, Dix took an

interest in mental health and wanted to get involved. In the 1850s in New England, Dorothea Dix

traveled around surveying “mental health facilities”, or anywhere that the mentally ill were being

held apart from society. Many times they were in extremely poor conditions or held in prisons

with criminals as to not be a burden or danger to the public. She brought her findings to the

government and exposed them to the public. Her concern and fight for improved conditions were

a major turning point of the American asylum reform of the 1800s. During this period of great

change for the United States, where slavery was wholly abolished, education was reformed, and

women became a more integral part of the government, Dix helped advance the revolutions

through her efforts. The conflict of the poor conditions of 1800s American asylums being

brought to light resulted in the compromise of better conditions for the mentally ill, where they

could be safe in addition to receiving the treatment they so severely needed, but kept away from

the public as to not cause harm or disruptions. This conflict and compromise show how the

mentally ill needed an advocate like Dorothea Dix because she focused all of her efforts to the

cause, advocated for the people for their benefit rather than fame and popularity, and knew how

to get the results she needed.

There is always a reason for the actions that somebody takes. Dix had a rough childhood,

and she suffered from various illnesses and ailments of her own. When she was a child into

young adulthood, “Dix suffered intermittently from depression and chronic upper respiratory

infections variously attributed to tuberculosis and malaria.” (Batten 2). These chronic and

complex illnesses beginning in Dix’s early life set her up for a lifelong battle for good health. In

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addition to her health complications, Dix had a bit of an unstable home life as a child. “Her

father, Joseph Dix, was an alcoholic and circuit-riding Methodist preacher who required young

Dorothea to spend her time laboriously stitching and pasting the thick religious tracts he wrote

and sold during his travels,” and the effect of this nonstop hard work on Dix’s health was

staggering (Batten 2). By having a demanding, strenuous schedule and being constantly busy,

Dix’s increased stress levels caused her illnesses to flare up and further diminished and

compromised her health (Batten 2). The conflicting need for both calm and stability and the

inability to get either took a sizable toll on Dix’s overall wellbeing. The continual cycle of

sickness, lack of rest, and stress formed the start of a life ridden with obstacles, all of which Dix

was determined to overcome. Due to her experience in life with hardships and health issues, Dix

felt more sympathy for those in poor conditions simply due to the fact that they had a mental

illness because she herself had struggled with poor health. If Dix had not held this personal

connection to the fight for reform, she may not have been as diligent in fighting it.

Dix was arguably the best advocate for the mental health reform because she focused all

of her efforts on the task at hand and was very determined to accomplish her goal, not

compromising the possibility that something would slip past her or that she might miss an

opportunity to get ahead in the fight. Dix devoted her whole life to the cause. She never had any

romantic interests and never married as to not distract from her work (Field 1). In her eyes, the

mental health reform was the most crucial action to take to help further the growth of the

country. She felt that the poor conditions were compromising the country’s chances of

development in humanitarian efforts. “Dix argued that the nation's conscience and moral health

were intimately tied to its care for the insane”, so she felt the need to improve the conditions in

order to improve the overall status of the country (Field 6). Though many people see her

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determination to make a big change as an admirable trait, Dix received some criticism for her

one-track mind. As quoted by one biography, “Possessed of an indomitable will and wholly

devoted to her personal crusade on behalf of the insane, Dix dedicated virtually her entire adult

life to proclaiming that the neglect and mistreatment of ‘these poor crazed beings’ amounted to

nothing less than a national sin.” (Field 1). Throughout the document, the author subtly gives his

seemingly underwhelmed opinion on Dix being so entirely and undividedly attached to her one

life goal. Even though the opinions Dix garnered were conflicting with one another, today we

know that her work ultimately made a change and revolutionized the treatment of the mentally ill

for the better.

In addition to having a one-track mind, Dix was very particular about who she allowed to

work with her. When she was in the Civil War as the superintendent of the field nurses, “Her

methods of screening new nurses were rigorous. In the beginning, she would only take nurses

who were women in agreement with her religious ideas, over thirty, and plain in appearance

wearing no jewelry” (Stevenson 3). Dix’s very strict criteria allowed only what she thought was

the best group of women working alongside her. This compromised the probability that Dix

would be able to get the most promising nurses, if one woman who did not fit her perfect image

was more qualified than one who did, Dix and the team would be missing out. This conflicting

standpoint of needing women able to do the job and wanting women for their other traits may

have set Dix back, but overall she succeeded.

Although Dix gained the attention of the public eye for her work, she did not give off the

impression that she could accomplish what was necessary alone. Dix knew she could not single

handedly make those imperative changes that she is famous for making. As stated by one author,

her “humanitarian concerns were complemented by considerable political skill. She knew how to

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choose her battleground and whom to enlist as her lieutenants” (Viney 212). Dix was smart, and

she asked for the help she needed when she needed it. Instead of trying to change the institutions

she surveyed and visited at the source (i.e. going to the guards and demanding for them to treat

their inmates like humans), Dix publicized the information that she found and went to the

government to persuade them that something had to be done. In her personal manuscript, I Tell

What I Have Seen, Dix asserts that, “Every new investigation has been depth to the conviction

that it is only by decided, prompt and vigorous legislation the evils to which I refer, and which I

shall proceed more fully to illustrate, can be remedied” (Dix 1). By recognizing the fact that this

conflict needs to be handled by the government, Dix is taking a significant step in the right

direction. She is compromising in this situation through confronting the proper authority to make

the change, but also declaring herself as someone to be an integral part of the movement, not

allowing herself to be pushed aside as a female who does not hold enough power to make a

change. Dix also did not come as a victim of the poor treatment, and did not try to turn the issue

into something that affected her personally. When she said, “I come as the advocate of helpless,

forgotten, insane and idiotic men and women; of beings, sunk to a condition from which the most

unconcerned would start with real horror; of beings wretched in our Prisons, and more wretched

in our Alms-Houses,” she made it transparent that she was in this only for the people (Dix 1).

Dix was never selfish and never looked at the reform as an opportunity for fame or popularity.

Doing so would have compromised her image and reputation if anyone had found out that Dix

was being untruthful about her intent.

Dorothea Dix was true to her profession. Dix, though she ended up in fame for her work,

was only in it for all of the right reasons; the people. She had a one-track mind, which ultimately

led her to achieve her admirable goals. Dix’s work to spark the mental health revolution may

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have been able to be carried out more effectively, but we cannot change history. The progress

and tremendous accomplishments that Dix rightfully earned did not go unnoticed then and still

do not go unnoticed today. The hill on which the hospital that she helped found in Raleigh, North

Carolina is aptly named Dix Hill, and there is also a cemetery and park in her name nearby. This

shows how her legacy has carried on into the present day, even after almost 200 years since her

lifetime. What she did was so profound and so obviously still has an effect on society that it

makes you question why the mentally ill are still not being treated fairly. Why are they still on

the streets, still in prisons, or still in places where they cannot thrive? People in power today

should call on Dorothea Dix’s influence and her success for solutions to these problems.

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Annotated Bibliography

Primary Sources

Bell Waugh, Samuel. Dorothea Lynde Dix. 1868. Oil painting on canvas. National Portrait

Gallery.

The title of this painting is “Dorothea Lynde Dix”. This title shows no bias as the

artist chose to simply use the name of his subject matter as the title with no opinion or

implied opinion. The purpose of this painting was to simply capture her appearance at the

time. Samuel Bell Waugh was a well known artist at the time, and had created portraits of

various presidents. This shows that he was associated with people of high value in

society, so it is safe to assume that Dix was no exception. This painting was

commissioned by St. Elizabeth’s Hospital of Washington, DC. This helps my research as

it gives another place to look at to try to find connections.

This painting was done in 1868, when Dix had already been doing work for the

betterment of the less fortunate, so her name was known and she was not a stranger to the

public. In the piece, Dix is dressed very plainly. This shows how she did not value vanity

or excessive decoration, and instead functionality and neatness. This is further supported

by the exhibition label with a quote from Dix herself, which says that nurses must be

plainly dressed. Dix’s opinion of apparel shows how she views the profession of nursing.

Broadbent, Samuel. “Dorothea Lynde Dix.” Athena Holdings , Boston Athaneum, 1850,

catalog.bostonathenaeum.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=437062.

The title of this source is “Dorothea Lynde Dix” and has no bias because there is

no opinion expressed either directly or indirectly. This source is a daguerreotype

photograph, taken around 1850. This photo was taken by Samuel Broadbent, a popular

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painter before he took up photography. Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph, taught

Broadbent how to use the new daguerreotype technology, having been taught by

Daguerre himself. This context is important because it is in the very beginning of

photography, and the technology was just becoming popular worldwide. If Broadbent

chose Dix to be one of his first subjects, she was obviously favored in society.

In the image, Dix is dressed plainly as always, which supports her idea of nurses

being neat and presentable. She is wearing a ring on her right ring finger and small flower

pin on her collar, which appear to be the only decorative items on her person in the

image. Her hair is pulled back into a tight bun, which is typical of any depiction of Dix,

so this must have been her usual style. There are no depictions of her where she is not

plainly dressed as she is in this photograph. The only difference between this image and

others of Dix is that she is smiling in this photo. This could be simply because she was

having a better day than in the other pictures.

Dix, Dorothea. "I Tell What I Have Seen"--The Reports of Asylum Reformer Dorothea Dix."

American Journal of Public Health, vol. 96, no. 4, Apr. 2006, pp. 622-624. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hch&AN=20473599&site=ehost-

live&authtype=sso&custid=plymouth.

This source is a manuscript of a memorial to the legislature of Massachusetts that

Dix presented in 1843. The title of the original speech given by Dix is, “I Tell What I

Have Seen.” There is minimal bias in this title in that the audience is expecting something

important that Dix has seen, and there is a sense of foreshadowing and suspense waiting

for her to tell the audience. This was presented after Dix visited the insane houses and

prisons that were in poor conditions.

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This source helps my research by giving the original information that Dix

presented to the legislature that other sources had referenced. Since this is a primary

source from Dix herself, it is perfect for understanding how she justified her choices and

made them real for other people to deal with. When Dix said, “I come to present the

strong claims of suffering humanity”, the audience knew that Dix had something negative

to address. This shows that she was not afraid to get to the point and say what she needed

without being “nice” about it. This can also be seen when Dix says, “I proceed,

Gentlemen, briefly to call your attention to the present state of Insane Persons confined

within this Commonwealth, in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens! Chained, naked, beaten

with rods, and lashed into obedience!”.

Dix, Dorothea Lynde. “Remarks on prisons and prison discipline in the United States”. Kite,

1845.

The title of this book is “Remarks on prisons and prison discipline in the United

States”. There is no bias as there is no description given to the prison discipline, the title

only says that the book is about it. This book was written by Dorothea Dix, but she used

the pen name D.L. Dix. This may have been done to disguise her gender, as women were

not seen in the same way as men and were taken less seriously in that time period. Dix

wrote this to bring attention to the poor conditions of the prisons, and possibly make

changes through the attention it was receiving.

In the beginning of the book, Dix addresses it to “those enlightened and

benevolent men in the United States”, and says that if they continue their “well-directed

efforts”, they will be able to accomplish the prison reform that is required. This may have

been used as an appraisal of the audience, to make them more likely to agree with what

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Dix suggests in her book. In the book, Dix also admits that there are some changes that

are unrealistic to occur and she does not expect them, which helps her case by not

expecting too much. This can be seen when she says, “It is not supposed that all who are

the inmates of prisons will be capable of earning their own support (bail), if they behave

well, and are disposed to observe the rules of discipline, they may receive some small

allowance...” By recognizing that there needs to be a compromise, Dix is strengthening

her chances of succeeding in the reform.

Secondary Sources

Batten, Donna. "Dix, Dorothea Lynde." Gale Encyclopedia of American Law, edited by Donna

Batten, 3rd ed., vol. 3, Gale, 2010, pp. 509-511. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX1337701455/GVRL?u=plysc_main&sid=GVRL&

xid=a0047188. Accessed 8 Jan. 2018.

The title of this passage in the Gale Encyclopedia of American Law is “Dix,

Dorothea Lynde”. This shows no bias as it is only her name with no description or

opinions. It was published in the 2010 edition of the Encyclopedia, when mental health

awareness was becoming more widespread. The purpose for writing this passage was to

give information about a figure in American History.

This source helped my research because it gave a timeline of Dix’s life and some

of her accomplishments. There was a quote from Dix herself in the passage which acts as

a primary reference point of Dix’s views of prisoners that says, “Man is not made better

by being degraded; he is seldom restrained from crime by harsh measures, except the

principle of fear predominates in his character; and then he is never made radically better

for its influence.”. This passage also references books that Dix wrote, none of which I

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knew existed until reading the source. Those books will give more insight to Dix’s

thoughts and motives.

Brown, Thomas J. Dorothea Dix : New England Reformer. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard

University Press, 1998.

The title of this book is “Dorothea Dix : New England Reformer”. This title is

more specific than others in saying New England rather than American, so it is assumed

that it focuses more on Dix’s impact in New England than the rest of the country.

This book addressed more of the compromise that Dix agreed to when the author

said, “Nor did Dix dwell on the prospects for curing the insane in a state hospital ... She

promised that the insane would be safe, comfortable, and peaceful if removed from jails

and almshouses, but she did not claim that all of these inmates would regain rationality.”

Dix was saying that if someone is insane and a burden or danger to society, they should

be kept safe and away from people whose safety they may compromise, but they should

not be expected to “get better”. This further helps connect my topic to the theme of

conflict and compromise.

Desrochers, Alyssa. “Dorothea Dix: Mental Health Reformer and Civil War Nurse.”

Smithsonian Institution Archives. Smithsonian Institution, March 29, 2012. Web. January

10, 2018. https://siarchives.si.edu/blog/dorothea-dix-mental-health-reformer-and-civil-

war-nurse.

The title of this article is “Dorothea Dix: Mental Health Reformer and Civil War

Nurse”. This shows minimal bias as there is no opinion shown, but the word reformer is

used, and it has a positive connotation. This source was an article online, written for the

150th anniversary of the Civil War, when the Smithsonian Institute produced posts

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associated with the war. The author was an intern at the Institute at the time, so she was

likely under a lot of pressure to be accurate in her information, and was likely interested

in the subject matter, since interns are unpaid and tend to be at places of interest to them.

This source helped my research by giving a place to start researching branches

that Dix created. For example, the author said, “Dorothea Dix ... had an interesting

connection to the Smithsonian Institution’s first family.”, which shows that the Institute

had a reason to be interested in her history. This could have been a spark of interest, or it

could be a reason for the Institute to over-glorify the connection to give themselves a

better public image. The author also stated that, “Dix worked in many different

occupations to improve the lives of the less fortunate.”, which is new information to me. I

now know to research to find the different occupations and how she improved lives in

other ways.

Editing staff. “DOROTHEA LYNDE DIX.” The Journal of Education, vol. 53, no. 13 (1322),

1901, pp. 202–202. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/44052861.

This source is titled “Dorothea Lynde Dix”. This shows no bias as it is only her

name with no opinions. This was a newspaper article published in 1901, after Dix had

passed. This was a short article giving a timeline of Dix’s life.

This source helped by giving a logical chain of events to follow when looking at

Dix’s accomplishments in time and her life overall in coordination with other things

happening in the world at the time.

Field, Peter S. “Less than Meets the Eye: The Strange Career of Dorothea Dix.” Reviews in

American History, vol. 27, no. 3, 1999, pp. 389–396. JSTOR, JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/30031077.

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The title of this article is “Less than Meets the Eye: The Strange Career of

Dorothea Dix”. The title shows bias as the author thinks Dix is less than everyone else

makes her out to be. This source is different in that it is the only one with an opposing

opinion. It was published in 1999, around the same time as everyone else was publishing

things telling of Dix’s wonderous accomplishments.

The bias can be seen when the author says, “Over a century ago Danish

philosopher Soren Kierkegaard asserted that ‘purity of heart is the will to one thing.’ By

this standard Dorothea Dix's heart was pristine. Possessed of an indomitable will and

wholly devoted to her personal crusade on behalf of the insane, Dix dedicated virtually

her entire adult life to proclaiming that the neglect and mistreatment of ‘these poor crazed

beings’ amounted to nothing less than a national sin.”. The opinion of the author is that

Dix was too determiend and never focused on anything other than her reform efforts.

Gollaher, David L. "Dorothea Dix and the English Origins of the American Asylum Movement."

Canadian Review of American Studies, vol. 23, no. 3, Spring 1993, p. 149. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ahl&AN=9410060102&site=ehost-

live&authtype=sso&custid=plymouth.

The title of this document is "Dorothea Dix and the English Origins of the

American Asylum Movement." This title shows no bias because it is only saying that the

document is about the English origins of America’s reform and not saying anything about

them. This was published as a Canadian view of American history, meaning the audience

is expected to have less of a background of America’s history being from a different

country. I trust this source because the author, Gollaher, also published Voice for the

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Mad, one of Dix’s biographies. He only has one other published book about the history of

circumcision, so one can assume that he is looking at the medical aspects of Dix’s history

This source was full of primary quotes from Dix, with citations that show their

origins. This helps my research by proving that this is a reliable source and giving places

to look for primary evidence. This source also addressed some of Dix’s personal and

emotional issues, leading the reader to make connections between her life experiences

and her choices. This can be seen when the author says, “Pressing futilely to make

something of herself, yet having no vehicle for her aspirations, Dix drove herself to a

state of nervous exhaustion. In early 1836, convinced her life was a miserable failure, she

finally collapsed. Her letters and notebooks from this bleak time--filled with brooding

over her physical ailments, chiefly fatigue and congestion in her lungs, and her severely

depressed state of mind--make painful reading.” The reader can see how Dix gave up

after not making an impact as she had hoped, and can assume that something got her back

into trying.

Marshall, Helen E. Dorothea Dix, Forgotten Samaritan. New York, Russell & Russell, 1967.

The title of this book is “Dorothea Dix, Forgotten Samaritan”. The use of the

word forgotten in the title shows the author’s idea that Dix and her efforts have not been

praised, remembered, or used enough in the time of publication.

This book was a very interesting discovery in my research, as it mentioned one of

Dix’s health complications that other sources did not thoroughly explain. When speaking

of Dix’s early life, the author said, “With the advent of a second brother, Charles Wesley,

she developed what today would be termed a ‘martyr complex’” By learning of this

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condition, I can now research more of the psychological conditions that Dix endured and

may have influenced the decisions she made.

McColgan, Kristin. "Dix, Dorothea Lynde." American Women Writers: A Critical Reference

Guide from Colonial Times to the Present: A Critical Reference Guide from Colonial

Times to the Present, edited by Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgraf, 2nd ed., vol. 1, St. James Press,

2000, pp. 296-297. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3400300317/GVRL?u=plysc_main&sid=GVRL&

xid=3c36300f. Accessed 8 Jan. 2018.

The title of this passage is “Dix, Dorothea Lynde.”, which shows no bias as it

shows no opinion or description. This was published in 2000, which was long after Dix

had done her work and passed on. This shows that Dix left a legacy and made herself

known, and she had been remembered long after she was “relevant”. This source is an

passage that addresses Dix as a writer, and tells her history as such, telling what lead her

to make the choices she made. The author seemed to have favored Dix, as there are

places in the passage where she is being praised. One example is when the author says,

“Although Dix never associated herself with the women's movement, judging any such

involvement a distraction from her humanitarian efforts on behalf of the mentally ill, her

achievements did much to reveal what one woman could accomplish.”.

This source helped my research by focusing more on Dix’s life travels and health

complications than other sources, which gives background as to why she tried so hard to

help those with health issues in her life. The author also mentions Dix’s work in the

government to help the mentally ill when she says, “In 1848 Dix began a crusade for

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national legislation to set aside a tract of land (ultimately, 12.5 million acres) for care of

the impoverished insane...”

Muckenhoupt, Margaret. “Dorothea Dix : Advocate for Mental Health Care.” Oxford University

Press, 2003. Oxford Portraits. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=160273&site=ehost-

live&authtype=sso&custid=plymouth.

This source is titled “Dorothea Dix : Advocate for Mental Health Care.” This title

shows a small amount of bias, as the author must have thought of Dix as an advocate if

they gave her that title. This eBook is a narrative-style biography, telling of Dix’s life

since childhood in an easy to understand format. This was published in 2003, long after

Dix’s time, which shows that she left a legacy that people are still commending in

modern times.

This source gave more emotional connections to the topic, making it easier to get

interested and find more ways to research. For example, when Muckenhoupt said, “Still,

no one stopped the girl, or asked where she was going, or helped her. Twelve-year-old

Dorothea Dix made her first long journey alone”, the audience can feel the loneliness that

Dix must have in that moment. By making that connection, one can see why Dix would

want to improve the conditions of those who are alone with no way to advocate for

themselves.

Phillips, Shawn M. "Deviancy to Mental Illness: Nineteenth-Century Developments in the Care

of the Mentally Ill." Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol.

5: 1800 to 1899, Gale, 2000, pp. 311-313. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

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http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3408502637/GVRL?u=plysc_main&sid=GVRL&

xid=3810f81e. Accessed 8 Jan. 2018.

The title of this document is "Deviancy to Mental Illness: Nineteenth-Century

Developments in the Care of the Mentally Ill." This shows bias as it is saying the care of

the mentally ill “deviated”, or strayed from what was normal in the nineteenth century.

This was a passage from a book called Science and Its Times, which was more focused

on Dix’s advances in science than Dix’s other works in literature, for example. The book

was published in 1999, more than a century after Dix had passed.

This source helped further my research because it showed more of the studies and

government interaction that Dix did. For example, Phillips said, “To provide evidence of

the need for federal responsibility, Dix systematically visited county poor-houses in

several American states and reported the lamentable conditions to the U.S. Congress.”

This document was the first that I found to mention Dix taking the issue to Congress

saying it was their job to fix it, so it gave me another branch of her impact to research.

Stevenson, Keira. "Dorothea Dix." Dorothea Dix, 8/1/2017, p. 1. EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=18011231&site=ehost-

live&authtype=sso&custid=plymouth.

The title of this eBook is “Dorothea Dix.” The title shows no bias as there is no

opinion or characterization in it. The author, Keira Stevenson, is not well known and I

had not heard of her before coming across this piece. When looking her up, very few

results come up. I still trust the book, because the information that overlaps with other

reliable sources is correct. It was written in August 2017, with no event or anniversary

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commemorating anything relating to Dix, so the author was most likely just doing

research and came across an interesting figure.

The purpose of this book was to spread general knowledge about Dix. I used this

as another background information source to compare the facts in them all to make sure

they were as accurate as possible and all said the same things. This piece was written

more as a narrative piece than an informative piece, so it was easier to follow along and

understand the chain of events and emotions that were connected. The author uses

emotion in many places, like when she says, “In 1841, Dix accepted a volunteer position

as a Sunday school teacher at a Cambridge prison, and glimpsed the next direction her

life would take. Now that her eyes were opened to the horrors of prison life, Dix felt that

first something had to be done to improve the living conditions of the mentally ill.” The

glimpses of emotion along with reliable facts help you understand the reasons behind

choices, not just that they were made.

Tiffany, Francis. Life of Dorothea Lynde Dix. Ann Arbor, Mich, Plutarch Press, 1971.

This book is titled “Life of Dorothea Dix”, and its contents are as stated. This

biography was claimed by Oxford University to be the first and most detailed version of

Dix’s life, so it will be the one I use most often when citing information.

This book had a piece of information that will possibly help me when looking for

more primary sources. The author stated, “ Thus, September 28, 1836, Mrs. H. S.

Hayward, of Boston, writes to inform the invalid of the sudden death of her mother, in

Fitzwilliam, N.H. ... “ Given that Dix’s mother passed there, it would be a good area to

research to see if Dix or her family made connections with or is related to anyone still

living today.

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Viney, Wayne, and Steven Zorich. “Contributions to the History of Psychology: XXIX.

Dorothea

Dix and the History of Psychology.” Psychological Reports, SAGE Publications, 2 Feb.

1982, journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.2466/pr0.1982.50.1.211.

The title of this document is “Contributions to the History of Psychology: XXIX.

Dorothea Dix and the History of Psychology.” This title shows bias as the author thinks

that Dix made contributions to the history of psychology, or they would not have phrased

the title the way they did. This source is a journal published in 1982.

This source helped my research by giving more insight into Dix’s personality and

mannerisms. When the author said, “Neglect, however, would have been of little concern

to Dorothea Dix. In her life, she was self-effacing in the extreme. She did not place her

name on most of her publications. She refused to have hospitals named after her.

Expressions of praise and gratitude for her work always seemed to produce

embarrassment”, the reader can see that Dix truly did what she did for the people, not for

popularity. Despite this, Dix still received praise. This can be seen when the author says,

“Dorothea Dix has been described as the most effective advocate of humanitarian reform

in American mental institutions during the nineteenth century".

Wilson, Dorothy Clarke. Stranger and Traveler : The Story of Dorothea Dix, American

Reformer. 1st ed. ed., Boston, Little, Brown, 1975.

The title of this book is “Stranger and Traveler : The Story of Dorothea Dix,

American Reformer.” This title shows bias as it gives Dix the title of “reformer”, which

means the author had to have thought of her as a reformer or a figure in reform at the

time.

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This source helped my research by showing the more personal parts of Dix’s life,

like her family connections and dynamics, that led her to make the choices she made.

One example can be seen when Wilson said, “For the first time in her life Dorothea knew

acceptance and contentment.” By showing Dix’s lack of acceptance, the reader can see

why Dix would want to make sure others did not feel alone in life.

Wood, Andrew G. “Dix, Dorothea Lynde (1802-1887), Social Reformer | American National

Biography.” American National Biography. Oxford University Press. Feb 2000.

www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-

150081.

The title of this source is “Dix, Dorothea Lynde (1802-1887), Social Reformer”.

The title shows bias in that the author thinks of Dix as a social reformer, but doesn’t state

whether or not it is a good thing. This biography was published in 2000, which shows

Dix’s impact on society after her passing, which helps to answer one of my sub-

questions. The purpose for recording was to spread information.

This source helps by addressing more federal and government work that Dix did

in her lifetime, like when the author says, “Beginning in 1848 Dix increasingly devoted

her energy to reforms at the federal level. She began a new project that proposed that

revenue collected from the sale of public land be used to establish a federal fund for the

mentally ill, blind, deaf, and mute across the nation.” This quote also showed me that Dix

did work for the physically disabled as well as the mentally disabled.

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