Dorothea Dix Advocate for Mental Health Care [Hardcover]

By exposing the sickening conditions people with mental illness endured in jails, almshouses, and basement cells, Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) single-handedly transformed the U.S. system of mental health care in the 19th century. Dix traveled from state to state, describing the hideous suffering people who were both poor and mentally ill endured at the hands of their captors. Her tireless research and personal lobbying of legislators led to construction of asylums for the mentally ill in state after state.

Oxford Portraits are informative and insightful biographies of people whose lives shaped their times and continue to influence ours. Based on the most recent scholarship, they draw heavily on primary sources, including writings by and about their subjects. Each book is illustrated with a wealth of photographs, documents, memorabilia, framing the personality and achievements of its subject against the backdrop of history.

Although Muckenhoupt references several personal situations from Dix's life, the focus is clearly on her crusade to document atrocities in the care of the mentally ill, present the information to legislators, and lobby for change. In Dix's mind there were not two sides to this issue-she believed that God would enable her to do this most important work. The numerous black-and-white illustrations and primary sources enhance the clear text. --School Library Journal

Meg Muckenhoupthas written articles on travel in Boston and local environmental issues forThe Boston Globe,the Boston Phoenix,Boston Magazineand theTime Out Bostonguide. Her bookSigmund Freud: Explorer of the Unconscious(Oxford University Press) won the American Academy of Sciences 1998 Best science Books for Junior High and High school readers, and has been translated into seven languages. She holds a certificate in Field Botany from the New England Wild Flower Society.