American journalist Nellie Bly exposed a harrowing truth about Blackwell’s Island asylum for the mentally disturbed, “The insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island is a human rat-trap. It is easy to get in, but once there it is impossible to get out.” This in turn, led to a massive investigation, that would eventually cause Blackwell’s Island to rise from its trenches. However, if it weren’t for Bly’s courageous act to admit herself in such an inferno, no one would ever be aware of what happened behind the hospital doors. The report and exposure of Blackwell’s Island helped raise awareness about how the mentally ill were treated; therefore, it broadened the population’s mindset about how cruel certain human beings can be, and most importantly
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Staff “choked, beat and harassed” (MentalFloss) patients, and “expectorated tobacco juice about on the floor in a manner more skillful than charming.” (MentalFloss) To add insult to injury, there were dirty sheets, rotten food, no articles of clothing that would keep the patients warm during the harsh cold winters of New York City and ice-cold baths that would turn your skin blue. Bly portrayed this experience as, “My teeth chattered and my limbs were goose-fleshed and blue with cold. Suddenly I got, one after the other, three buckets of water over my head – ice-cold water, too – into my eyes, my ears, my nose and my mouth (...) For once I did look insane.” There were patients who came from other countries, that were perfectly sane, however; they were permitted because nobody could understand them. Most likely the worst part of this experience was the loneliness. Bly wrote this, “Take a perfectly sane and healthy woman, shut her up and make her sit from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on straight-back benches, do not allow her to talk or move during these hours, give her no reading and let her know nothing of the world or its doings, give her bad food and harsh treatment.” Bly did not act insane when she arrived at the asylum, however; the more normal she acted, the staff believed she was crazier than …show more content…
It was titled, “Asylum Behind Bars”. Bly’s story was a hit, the whole nation was talking about it. The psychiatric doctors that had been tricked laid down excuses, apologized and attempted to contend themselves. Practically overnight, Nellie Bly became a famous journalist. Bly didn’t admit herself in Blackwell’s Island asylum for the notoriety, she simply did it for the patients, she did not want them to be treated like second-class citizens anymore. One million dollars were given to the treatment of the insane, “On the strength of my story, the committee of appropriation provides $1,000,000 more than was ever before given, for the benefit of the insane.” A month after her newspaper story was issued, Bly came back to Blackwell’s asylum to make sure everything had been fixed. They had, there was no more abuse, the food and hygiene conditions were corrected and the immigrants had been released. All in all, Bly’s undercover report was a well-deserved
Staff “choked, beat and harassed” (MentalFloss) patients, and “expectorated tobacco juice about on the floor in a manner more skillful than charming.” (MentalFloss) To add insult to injury, there were dirty sheets, rotten food, no articles of clothing that would keep the patients warm during the harsh cold winters of New York City and ice-cold baths that would turn your skin blue. Bly portrayed this experience as, “My teeth chattered and my limbs were goose-fleshed and blue with cold. Suddenly I got, one after the other, three buckets of water over my head – ice-cold water, too – into my eyes, my ears, my nose and my mouth (...) For once I did look insane.” There were patients who came from other countries, that were perfectly sane, however; they were permitted because nobody could understand them. Most likely the worst part of this experience was the loneliness. Bly wrote this, “Take a perfectly sane and healthy woman, shut her up and make her sit from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on straight-back benches, do not allow her to talk or move during these hours, give her no reading and let her know nothing of the world or its doings, give her bad food and harsh treatment.” Bly did not act insane when she arrived at the asylum, however; the more normal she acted, the staff believed she was crazier than …show more content…
It was titled, “Asylum Behind Bars”. Bly’s story was a hit, the whole nation was talking about it. The psychiatric doctors that had been tricked laid down excuses, apologized and attempted to contend themselves. Practically overnight, Nellie Bly became a famous journalist. Bly didn’t admit herself in Blackwell’s Island asylum for the notoriety, she simply did it for the patients, she did not want them to be treated like second-class citizens anymore. One million dollars were given to the treatment of the insane, “On the strength of my story, the committee of appropriation provides $1,000,000 more than was ever before given, for the benefit of the insane.” A month after her newspaper story was issued, Bly came back to Blackwell’s asylum to make sure everything had been fixed. They had, there was no more abuse, the food and hygiene conditions were corrected and the immigrants had been released. All in all, Bly’s undercover report was a well-deserved