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Article: Dorothea Dix and the founding of Illinois' first mental hospital
- Article from:
- Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society
- Article date:
- April 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Illinois State Historical Society Spring 1999. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) was an indefatigable New England reformer who brought the plight of the mentally ill to the people and governing bodies of several states and foreign countries. Only the recently deceased Mother Theresa comes to mind as someone in our day whose accomplishments and general good works were comparable to those achieved by Miss Dix in the last century.
There have been two recent biographies of Dorothea Dix, both drawing for the first time in over a century on her papers in the Houghton Library at Harvard University. The original authorized biography by the Reverend Frances Tiffany published in 1891 used some of this material, but access to it was closely restricted ...