Dorothea Dix
Dorothea Dix
Prior to the Civil War’s beginning in 1861 (when she became the Union’s Superintendent of Female Nurses), Dorothea Dix investigated the conditions of many jails, mental hospitals, and almshouses, and presented her findings to state legislatures. Due to her work, many hospitals were built, along with additions and improvements made to existing facilities. In contrast to popular attitudes of the time that such things were not necessary, she insisted on a therapeutic setting for the curable insane and a humanely comfortable setting for those regarded as incurable.
Dorothea Dix
Narrated by Molly Benedict
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_women_in_the_United_States