Dorothea DixA presentation by Meah Puckhaber, Virginia McDonald, Oluwatoyin Akinola & Jessica Levine

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find
out why. (Mark Twain)
Who is Dorothea Lynde Dix?
Dorothea Lynde Dix was a phenomenal, well-rounded woman that contributed a lot to
society in general and the Nursing field. Dorothea Dix was born on April 4th, 1802, in Hampden,
Maine. (History). She was the daughter of Joseph Dix (a minister) and Mary Bigelow (suffered
from depression). She was the eldest of three children. Since her father had to travel a lot for
work, and the fact that her mother suffered from depression. Dorothea was considered to run the
household (ANB). According to Webster, Dorotheas family life was considered abusive and
nonexistent.
Dorotheas father also suffered depression and alcoholism. However, he started
Dorotheas passion for reading and writing (History).
Dorothea then moved with her successful grandmother, at the age of 12 due to lack of
finances in her original home. Also, the neglectful family behavior played a role in Dixs move.
Her grandmother took her in and influenced Dixs interest in education. This prompted Dix to
begin teaching school at 14-years-old (Webster).
Contributions of Dorothea Dix to the Nursing Profession
Dorothea Dix went beyond her role as a nurse to help those that are less fortunate, she
taught poor and neglected children at home but suffered from poor health after a while. Dix
realized that the mentally ill patients and the individuals in jail were being maltreated. Shes
known for patient advocacy for the improvement of the living conditions. She provided equal
and sufficient care to the mentally ill and the individuals within various jails. This example
continuously provides all nurses throughout time with a role model that went above and beyond
expectations.

She also helped by creating many new facilities and aided in hiring new staff members to
each new hospital established. This provided nurses with more job opportunities because more
individuals were being taught to be a nurse and influenced many new individuals to consider
nursing as a profession.
Dix offered her services to the wounded armies during the Civil War I 1861. Due to her
skills, she was made the Superintendent of the U.S. Army nurses. With this opportunity she was
able to converse with military officials and managed to increase the responsibilities of the
women that were military nurses by providing training, disperse medical supplies (Personal
Communication January 29th, 2016). Not only did she provide nurses with more education and
job opportunities but she also amplified nurses roles and responsibilities. During the Civil War
nurses received no official status. They also received no pay. In addition, nurses had to work in
very challenging conditions which caused a greater obstacle of keeping everything sanitary
(Personal Communication January 29th, 2016). Dix was said to be very respected and feared, but
no liked by her fellow nurses. She often had conflicts with army officials as well. Due to her
attitude, in addition to exhaustion, Dorothea Dix was dismissed from her position in 1863.
Achievements
In 1816, when she was 19 years-old, Dorothea opened her own school for women in
Boston. In 1827, Dix became severely ill with tuberculosis. Dorothea became more focused on
writing due to the physical restraints she suffered from the disease (ANB, 2000). She wrote many
books including Conversations on Common Things (1824), and Ten Short Stories for
Children (1827) and many others.
Shortly after, Dix began to work again as well as taking care of her sick grandmother;
which put a strain on Dix's health yet again. In 1836, Dorothea collapsed and endured frequent

pain, hemorrhage, and eventually a collapsed lung (ANB, 2000). Dorothea had to close her
school for good (History, 2016). She traveled to England in attempt to strengthen her health and
investigated the works of Philippe Pinel and William Tuke, which inspired her.
In 1841, Dorothea visited a jail and saw the horrendous conditions some of the woman
lived in, she saw many people with mental illnesses who were being treated neglectfully and
inhuman which inspired her to improve conditions. She started investigating the treatment of the
mentally ill in 1843 and submitted a memorial to the state legislature, these pamphlets were the
only means by which women could participate in politics in the U.S. She was able to use her
descriptions with a powerful effect, describing the horrible conditions and abuse to political
leaders into taking action on the behalf of the inmates of these institutions to getting them the
treatment they rightfully deserved, to be housed in hospitals rather than jails (ANB 2000).
Dorotheas late life
After ending her job, Dorothea focused her energy into reconstructing treatment of the
mentally ill, most specifically in hospitals and prisons. This ultimately changed the perspectives
of hospitals, thanks to Dix, (History, 2016).
Dorothea dedicated her life as a nurse, author, teacher, an advocate for the handicap and
voice of those forgotten. She died at the age of 85 in 1887, in a New Jersey hospital, (History,
2016). Through her works she will not be forgotten, and her influence will always be felt.

References
Biography.com. (n.d.). Dorothea Dix biography. Retrieved January 26, 2016, from
http://www.biography.com/people/dorothea-dix-9275710#personal-life
Bumb, J. (n.d.). Dorothea Dix. Retrieved January 26, 2016, from
http://faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/dorotheadix.html
History.com. (2009). Dorothea Lynde Dix. Retrieved January 26, 2016, from
http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/dorothea-lynde-dix
Wood, A. G. (2000, February). Dorothea Lynde Dix. Retrieved January 26, 2016, from
http://www.anb.org/articles/15/15-00181.html