
“Ten Days in a Madhouse” by Nellie Bly is about the author’s experience in a lunatic asylum for ten days in the late nineteenth century.  Bly was born in 1884 and was raised by her single mother.  This early childhood experience cemented her views on women equality.  She went on to become an investigative journalist fighting for women’s rights (Bly 280). While on this path, Bly decided to go undercover as a mentally ill person at Blackwell’s Island Lunatic Asylum, which was ironically insane.  Bly witnessed atrocity after atrocity in the treatment of women and the mentally ill at her stay on Blackwell Island.  The era Bly lived and went to this asylum in was a very judgmental time period and, it is critical in understanding why the treatment of these patients was so horrifying.

Bly experiences sexism when she first arrives at the asylum.  As soon as there wagon pulls up to the asylum, her and all the other newly arriving patients are rushed off for an evaluation with Dr. Kinier.  The nurse escorting the patients in and out of the doctor’s office was Miss Grupe, Bly described her as having “a nice German face” (282).  When it came to be Bly’s turn to be seen, the doctor’s observation of her was less than attentive; the main pupil of the doctor’s observation instead seemed to be Miss Grupe.  Dr. Kinier spent most of his time flirting with Miss Grupe instead of doing his doctoral duty and listening to his patient.  The doctor even asked Miss Grupe “When do you get your next pass?” (Bly 283) so that he could ask her on a date.  Miss Grupe flirted back as well when Dr. Kinier aided her in reading Bly’s height; Dr. Kinier enjoyed this because he saw himself as more intelligent and important than the frail woman nurse.  

The key to understanding Dr. Kinier’s actions is in understanding the social values of the era.  In the late nineteenth century, women were seen on the social scale as much lower than men; at this point in time, for example, women did not even have the right to vote yet.  Women were also seen by men as desperate for a husband to support them (Hughes).  Since Dr. Kinier sees a single young Miss Grupe, he acts as though she is dependent on his help and relentlessly flirts with her.  Dr. Kinier also doesn’t pay much attention to his patient, Bly, because she is a woman.  Charles Darwin’s teachings about women were very influential to society (Bergman).  Darwin taught that women were biologically inferior to the evolution of men and, that it was beneficial to marry women because they were a better companion than a dog (Bergman).  Since these teachings were so popular at the time, Dr. Kinier denies Bly attention because her needs were seen by him as inferior. 

Mental illness has a long history of being subjected to prejudice; this stems from the belief that mental illness was caused by some evil force such as demonic possession (Foerschner).  Families in the late nineteenth century and years before believed that it was shameful to have a mentally ill family member because of this stigma; therefore, families often ‘dealt’ with these unfortunate family members by keeping them locked away or abandoned them on the street (Foerschner).  The history of the social treatment of the mentally ill is important to understanding the treatment of the patients in “Ten Days in a Mad-House”.  Though the book is littered with examples of prejudice, there are a few that stand out.

When Bly had her first meal at Blackwell Lunatic Asylum, she was surprised with the awful food they served the patients.  Bly describes the food as, “large dressing-bowls filled with pinkish-looking stuff which the patients called tea. By each bowl was laid a piece of bread, cut thick and buttered. A small saucer containing five prunes accompanied the bread” (Bly 285).  This food has insufficient nutrition for anyone, much less patients who are trying to become well.  The period in which this transpired caused these patients care takers to not be very “caring.”  Bly stated that on their walks they passed the kitchen for the doctors and nurses where they “got glimpses of melons and grapes and all kinds of fruits, beautiful white bread and nice meats.” (293).  One can imakh’’gine the hunger and anger the patients would feel looking at this feast when they’re fed almost inkedible putrid foods.  This anger led Bly to address this issue with the superintendent while still at the asylum, to which he didn’t respond and ignored the request.  In today’s world, this abuse would not be tolerated but, in the late nineteenth century this was unfortunately the norm at these types of public institutions. 

The cold is a reoccurring type of mistreatment throughout the text.  The patients are given very little clothes and are forced to endure freezing temperatures during Bly’s entire experience at Blackwell Island.  While Bly was waiting for her first supper at the asylum, she stated: “How we shivered as we stood there!  The windows were open and the draught went whizzing through the hall.  The patients looked blue with cold, and the minutes stretched into a quarter of an hour.” (285).  The nurses did not even think to close the windows because of the prejudice they had against the mentally ill in the nineteenth century.  Bly along with the other patients was escorted to the baths after dinner where she would be subjected to the cold once again.  Once reaching the bathroom, Bly stated that they were forced to undress and get into the icy cold water where they were scrubbed by other patients.  They were then given a small silk slip with their hall number on it.  It is inhumane to be subjected to these elements without the proper garb.  When Bly and others asked for more clothing or blankets they were told to shut-up.  The nurses thought that since the patients were mentally ill, they were less than human.  This ideology can be fully understood only when understanding the stigma on mentally ill in this era.  The last incident in the cold was with a pitiful blind old lady.  The nurses at Blackwell denied the old lady the subtle warmth of her bed and forced her to sit in the freezing cold hallway on stiff hard benches with the rest of the patients.  The sad old lady cried to them, “Oh, what are you doing with me? I am cold, so cold. Why can’t I stay in bed or have a shawl?” (Bly 294).  When the old lady tried to find her way back to the beds, the nurses would laugh at her bumping around to find her way.  When they forced her back to the benches, the nurses thought it would also be fun to sit on her and run their cold hand on her neck and face; as the old woman cried, the nurses laughed viciously (Bly 294-295).  It is absolutely appalling to hear that these mentally ill women were treated in such savage ways; it’s a shame that the world in the 1890’s viewed the mentally ill as less than human.

The last account of abuse Bly describes in “Ten Days in a Mad-House” is about the nurses choking and beating patients.  Bly stated that one of the patients named Urena Little-Page was insane and had a strong disliking to anyone who would say she was any age but eighteen.  One of the nurses named Miss Grady told Urena, “the doctors say that you are thirty-three instead of eighteen.” (Bly 296) She did this just to tease the poor woman, knowing very well that Urena would get very angry.  The nurses urged on until Urena went fully hysterical.  After they had their fun, Urena was still crying.  They yelled at her to shut up which only made her cry more; the nurse’s answer to this was to attack Urena.  Bly states, “they pounced upon her and slapped her face and . . . choked her.  Yes, actually choked her.  Then they dragged her out to the closet, and I heard her terrified cries hush into smothered ones.  After several hours’ absence she returned to the sitting-room, and I plainly saw the marks of their fingers on her throat for the entire day.” (297).  Bly told some of the doctors about the nurses beating patients, but they did not care.  The prejudice and beliefs against the mentally ill led these nurses to believe they had the right to beat and choke this woman senselessly.

The key to understanding why these mentally ill women were subjected to such harsh treatment is in understanding the beliefs of the public in the late nineteenth century.  There was a stigma placed on women and the mentally ill that caused these doctors and nurses to act this way.  Nellie Bly risked so much to be able to report these horrendous cases of abuse; she was able to expose how these public institutions and made the world better in doing it.  “Ten Days in a Mad-House” is an eye-opening investigative piece that provides a look into nineteenth century asylums that will go on to educate future generations. 
