A common incentive to write for authors throughout history has been current events. This is the case for many reasons. It is relevant, it is convenient, and most of all it is what entertains readers during that time period. In Nelly Bly’s “Ten days in a Mad-House” she incorporates current events in order to keep her audience entertained and to bring notice to the governments’ mistreatment of mentally insane individuals. This method of writing does not only entertain citizens of that particular time period, but it entertains future generations too. Nelly Bly was historically a very impulsive and adventurous writer, some would say. She was always open to trying new and sometimes odd topics of writing. This is one thing that drove her to go on this expedition and write this piece. Authors always want to write something that makes change and impacts people, and with this opportunity she was able to do just that. Writing has been the main form of recording history throughout the years, and when writers make pieces about current events, people from later generations can discover and learn from these events. 

One of the main faults that Nelly Bly calls the government out for is the lack of fire safety that they provide for inmates. This is because fires were a much more life-threatening and dangerous thing at this time in our history. They killed more people and ruined many more lives than they do in this day and age. Most of this is simply due to lack of technology in this time period. In a different time period her argument on this topic may have been useless, or she may not have even noticed the lack of fire safety at all. One specific fire that could have made Nelly Bly concerned was the Great Chicago fire, which happened in her lifetime and took the lives of more than “200 citizens” (Potter, 10). This quote more fully depicts the size and immensity of the fire, when Potter says “the great fire of 1871, which burned more than 2,000 acres, destroying the city’s central business district, including some 1,600 stores, 28 hotels, and 60 churches. The fire killed more than 200 people (a relatively small number for a blaze of such magnitude) and left another 90,000 homeless—nearly one-third of the city’s population at the time.

 This fire was infamous throughout the United States and impacted many peoples’ lives, this could have been a source of her worries for the inmates. Nelly brings this problem up to the doctor not only to instigate change but to gain the attention of readers, readers whose friends and family may have been hurt or had loved ones hurt by fires. As a solution to this problem Nelly recommends “…having locks put in… that by turning a crank at the end of the hall you can lock or unlock every door on the one side…”. This idea is very practical and useful and could be used to save the lives of many women should a fire break out, but the doctor completely disregards her comment and continues to talk about things of his interests. This goes back to show the overall poor treatment of the women in these asylums. 

Another main point that Nelly Bly makes during this article is the overall cleanliness at the asylum and how it affects the inmates’ physical health over time. While this is only one of the many reasons for the inmates’ poor health, it is a significant contributor to the issue. Nelly specifically mentions the health of how “Miss Tillie Mayard suffered greatly from cold. One morning she sat on the bench next to me and was livid with the cold. Her limbs shook and her teeth chattered. I spoke to three attendants who sat with coats on at the table in the center of the room.” (Bly, 295). Even more than that statement, there is no evidence of the workers trying to find the problem or a solution to these sicknesses. The workers show little to no care for the attendants at all, and that is the main issue that Nelly Bly brings to light in these institutions even with the plethora of certified doctors around the asylum, few to none of them actually care to give quality care to the women. The doctors completely neglect the job that they are present to do, the main part that called for reform after this article was written. A significant amount of these illnesses of the women could easily be avoided as the article mentions, this article says that “Although the mechanisms by which diseases were transmitted (such as micro-organisms) were not understood until late in the century, the connection between filth and disease was understood as a powerful one. Early public health reformers like Elisha Harris, later a founder, with Henry W. Bellows, of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, agreed that disease could be prevented and controlled by cleaning up the environments. But popular behavior lagged behind in America.” (Sivulka, 1). Simply cleaning by the nurses could have stopped some of these viruses and infections that the women are constantly suffering from. This again just goes back to show the mistreatment of the women. 

The last point of emphasis that Nelly Bly made in this article was the topic of food. The food that Nelly speaks of is an atrocity and is seemingly impossible to live on. There is an overall lack of variety in the food groups and not nearly enough nutrients in this meal to live a healthy lifestyle with. The rations are also a topic of interest; the women are basically forced to fight for the food that they need. She shows by talking about how “One fat woman made a rush, and jerking several saucers from those around her emptied their contents into her own saucer. Then while holding her own bowl she lifted up the other and drained its contents at one gulp.” (Bly, 285). This was an especially large change for Nelly considering she was in the upper-middle class. Going from the very fancy food that we see in other portrayals of this time period, to the disgusting and rotten food served at the asylum. This shows a completely different side of the society in this time period and it gives us a more in depth view of this time in our history. 

Nelly Blys’ article was a very bold of her to take and because of her boldness it became a very impactful piece of writing in this time period. It caused change and drastically improved the lives of those in asylums after the government executed further inspections. Through writing this piece, Nelly did not only provide us with entertainment but she provided us a piece of history. Through this article, we are enlightened about many issues and topics that we would not have previously known. Nelly’s society and culture are reflected in this article and through this we get to see a little bit of this time period. 
