471E4--Week 5 Questions/Comments--Tuesday

Definitely an interesting read, probably because this week's assignment were actual first-person account. While going through Bly's experiences, I was struck by how brutally the nurses treated the patients despite the protests and how the label of "insane" automatically identified people with "beneath human" status, and everything that the insane did was attributed to their supposed insanity. The doctors at Blackwell appeared to care very little about their patients, and by their logic, why should they pay attention to what their crazy patients said when the words of lunatics could not be trusted? --Chelsea Chin

Nellie Bly's account was definitely interesting because it was a personal account. I am amazed that she would take on that task just because her editor asked her to. The lengths she went to prove it were also remarkable. The fact that she never broke character, even in front of experienced specialists portrays how dedicated she was to her craft. There are many different types of "crazy" or "insane." How did she pick what "illness" she would have and how to make it realistic? ~Emily Barry

I thought Nellie Bly's account was very intrigued by the way mental illness was looked upon back then. Especially by the women in the almshouse once she was considered ill no one wanted to set beside her once they thought her mentally ill. What I wanted to know is based on Nellie Bly's medical examination was mental illness considered to psychiatric in nature or medical? and the mere fact that Nellie Bly is able to fake this says volumes. What does this specifically say about medical knowledge of the psychiatry in the 19th century?-Ronnie

Dix´s descriptions of the patients disgusted me. I feel like having her firsthand account allowed me to really see how bad conditions could become for the insane. While I know that the insane were seen as less than human beings, how could such treatment be justified? Even if you equated an insane person to the value of a chicken, would you not treat the chicken with some form of care?

In Bly's account, I was stuck by the doctors questioning of the "insane." Most of their questions seemed loaded, and even when the patient being interview was sane, such as in Bly's case, the doctors didn't seem interested in actually proving otherwise. They seemed to have the mentality that if the patients managed to make it this far they MUST be insane. I was also annoyed that in virtually every interview she received, Bly was asked if she was a prostitute or abandoned by a man. Are there many records on the interviews (specifically the questions) that doctors gave to "insane" patients? It'd be interesting to see the similarities and differences among doctors and institutions. --Carly W.

Bly mentions from the start and reminds us repeatedly throughout her account that once she was in the asylum, she no longer pretended to be insane. Yet, she notes that the staff and many people around her still believe that she is crazy. The stigma of being marked as insane seems to stick with a person not matter how they actually act. Once the doctors believe Bly was insane, they associated everything she did with some sort of mental instability. They not only did this to Bly but to many other women in the asylum, forcing many women to remain in there when there was no actual need for them to be there. - Morgan H.

On page 49, the scene in which the German woman is convicted for insanity reminds me of the movie Chicago when the Polish woman is arrested because no one could understand her. She was also the only to be executed in the movie, even though she was the only one not guilty of a crime. Bly mentions on the same page that a criminal is given every chance to prove their innocence while these women are marked as insane no matter what they say. However it seems that being able to plea for your rights is more a white, English speaking, man privilege, not given to women and especially not foreign born women. - Morgan H.

At first, I was struck by Bly's account and her ability to fake mentally ill but after all we have read, it's not surprising. Reading after reading we have seen how patients were ill treated and ignored in the asylum so it is no surprise that Bly didn't have to have insane behavior once in the asylum. I'm left questioning the accounts of Dix like Kasey noted. -Maggie Nunn

Is there a reason for the pink color when you select the words in the memorials? - Katie Tryon

“Brookfield. One man caged, comfortable.” Dix uses cites similar circumstances in other locations as well. How is a cage considered comfortable? - Katie Tryon

In Newburyport, MA, Why did they resign an insane man to the “dead room”? Was it out of need for space or was this just cruel and unnecessary punishment? - Katie Tryon

Can we trust Dix's personal observations? - Kasey Moore

When the investigation of Blackwell Island began all the complaints of Bly had been "fixed". Although the jury saw they were "fix" they still granted the money...why? -Kasey Moore

Nellie Bly’s story was the least bit surprising to me and was close to everything I was expecting in her book. I believe she did a courageous act that took every once of bravery to go through with. It took the least bit of skill in my opinion to come off as insane and I do not mean that in disrespect to what Bly actually accomplished. My question would someone be able to pass the same today as someone suffering from a mental illness and would it be that easy to diagnose a person who had a little practice? I believe that a person could create the same signs and symptoms and pass off as insane today. Anyone can walk into doctor’s office and say they are depressed or anxious and can receive treatment and medicine. Does this reflect on Bly’s story on the relations between today’s healthcare system and then? –Jack Hylan

I am very glad that we are finally seeing this from the women's angle for a change. It seems that so far we have only been viewing this from the men's perspective. My key question is the one that Ms. Moore raised: Can we trust Dix's personal observations? The more closely one looks at Dix's life the more one sees that for all of her dedication she still was not above reproach. Moreover, I wonder if this is why she is often overlooked?

I agree with Jack, In the four diagnosing doctors’ defense they were basing their judgment of insanity on her outward behavior, which at the time was the major indicator of mental health. It’s reasonable to assume that they never expected anyone to fake such problems hoping to end up in an asylum for poor women. It would be like someone telling a doctor they have stomach pains when they don’t, the doctor would likely believe the lie and analyze accordingly. –Scott Campbell

Bly’s story describes how the insane charity cases were handled. But I would be interested in reading how the other “wealthy” side was treated in corporate and private asylums using the same undercover expose approach. –Scott Campbell

Curious how the doctors kept the saner patients, as Bly labeled them, in the asylum. Would it not be better for the institution to declare them cured and release them, especially if the funds to care for patients are limited? In previous classes we criticized the doctors for releasing patients just to pad their cure rate, but Bly’s experience would indicate the opposite. –Scott Campbell

Is there a particular reason that Dix didn't go to three states? Is there more background to that story? --Carly W.

I thought it was interesting that Bly was able to have herself committed with one night's practice of making faces in the mirror, a day of saying that women in the boardinghouse looked "crazy," and a couple skipped meals. I think this shows that people were ready have any stranger that exhibited abnormal behavior committed. I also wonder if they sent her to Blackwell's Island more readily because she was a woman with no apparent family. -Joanna Jourdan

Bly seems to emphasize how rudely the nurses and other asylum staff treated her and the other patients. I was particularly stuck by how many times they apparently told her to "shut up." Even if they worked to care for people who didn't pay, I expected them to treat the patients more kindly. -Joanna Jourdan

I’m wondering if Dorothea Dix was successful and well-known in reforming the asylums because she was a woman. That may have correlated to her gender because women were seen as more mothering and nurturing. Also, was Nellie Bly able to pull off the insanity act because she was a woman? I wonder if she was examined as thoroughly as a man would have been examined in the question of insanity. –Courtney Collier

The nurses were obviously very cruel in Bly’s accounts. While not just physical abuse they also used taunting and harsh comments to amuse themselves. I wonder if nurses in the men’s ward were just as taunting. Did these nurses feel they could get away with their cruelty towards women rather than men? Were they simply just trying to show that they were more powerful? - Courtney Collier