Radical Reformers: Dorothea Dix

Dorothea "Dragon" Dix, 1802-1887, was a formidable advocate for better treatment of the mentally ill, prisoners, and founding nursing as a profession. At 14 she opened a school to educate poor children. After several decades teaching, she became an advocate for prison reform and separate treatment of the mentally ill who were often imprisoned with violent criminals. She openly challenged 19th century views of illness and prison reform and felt that no one got better when they were degraded and mistreated. At 59 years old, she became the Superintendent of Army Nurses for the Union during the Civil War but believed in treating Union and Confederate soldiers with the same level of compassion and professionalism. She is considered a nursing pioneer and had a hand in founding over 32 mental health hospitals in the United States.