SUCCESS STORY

Dorothea Dix’s Road to Success

By Katelyn Monnier | Nursing Major

“It doesn't matter what you do, he said as long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that’s like you after you take your hands away.” Dorothea Dix was an influential woman who helped change how women were treated in jails in the 1800’s. Dorothea put her hands and mind to work that changed how society deals with mentally disabled adults. “Today the results of her efforts can still be seen throughout the United States, Canada, and many European countries.” (Ghareeb) Despite the fact there were many bumps in the path to her success, she is a great example of Malcolm Gladwell’s theories of 10,000 hours, family legacy, and special opportunities. Nothing was getting in the way for Dorothea Dix.

Aside from everything Dorothea endured as a child, she is a great example of one of Malcolm Gladwell’s theories family background. Dorothea, born April fourth, 1802, was the oldest child out of three to Joseph Dix and Mary Bigelow Dix. (Bumb) Joseph was born in 1778, and was the “black sheep” (Ghareeb) in his family growing up. He was kicked out of Harvard at the young age of nineteen due to being in so much trouble, failing his classes and not being able to pay the bills. The cycle of failure continued as he tried to make many careers such as apothecary apprenticeship, selling books, farming and even a land merchant. (Ghareeb) Joseph then became a preacher at a Methodist church. He married Mary Bigelow Dix on January first, 1801. Mary, Dorothea’s mom, was born July fifteenth, 1779. As she was growing up, she had to take the responsibility of raising her two brothers. (Ghareeb) All through-out Dorothea’s life, Mary was very ill with depression and was barely able to help out the family or take care of her children. Due to Joseph being a preacher, they had to move multiple times while Dorothea was at a young age. Joseph was known as an “abusive alcoholic.” (Ghareeb) He was often hitting Mary and the kids. This pushed Dorothea to opportunities that helped her become successful.

Due to Dorothea’s background, she had numerous opportunities that lead to her path in success. Growing up, Dorothea, had some responsibilities that most children don’t. At a young age, her father taught her how to write and read. After being taught these skills, they became her passion. (Bumb) This advanced her a lot for her age. She put these skills to use when she had to raise her brothers, because her mom was so bedridden with depression. Dorothea, just like her mother when she was young, took responsibility of her siblings to make sure they had some kind of support. (Bumb) She was a caregiver to her brothers and her mother all before the age eleven. This also leads to another theory of Gladwell, 10,000 hours. When she reached the age of 12, Dorothea left her house with her siblings to go live with their “disciplinary grandmother” in Massachusetts. (Ghareeb) Living with her grandmother, she started an elementary school to teach younger kids in 1821. (Parry) Dix wrote her first out of many books during this time of teaching young kids that was filled with facts for other school teachers. At the age of nineteen, she moved back to Boston where she established her own school. This school was to provide to the kids of Boston who weren't able to afford schooling. (Ghareeb)

Dorothea had an additional opportunity that presented itself even though it didn't seem to be that way at the time. She was ill a lot of times throughout her teaching career. Flocculating between getting colds in the winter, to being bedridden due to depression. In 1826, she was forced to close down her school because of her health problems. This time, she was out of her teaching career for a long period of time. Despite the fact that she was sick, it wasn't going to stop her from doing something to help her become successful. During this period, she wrote a series of four books. (Ghareeb)

She eventually was able to recover and got back onto her feet. In 1834, she was teaching and caring for her ill grandmother in Boston. (Ghareeb) She again became very ill with something that she wasn't used to. She saw many physicians and they couldn't cure her or give her a diagnosis. They did agree though, that she was suffering from Tuberculosis. Those doctor’s wanted her to take a longer break from teaching and taking care of her grandmother. Instead of writing books on this vacation, she went to England. She was nursed back to good health conditions all under two years. “It was in this loving household that Dorothea learned what it was like to have a family; she reveled in the acceptance and love that she found.” (Ghareeb) She then returned back to Boston in 1837 “just after the death of her grandmother.” (Parry) Dorothea was given all the inheritance from her grandmother. It was enough to support Dorothea fully, and devote her time to her work.

Dorothea once again, was able to recover and become stronger than ever. In 1841, “when she volunteered to teach Sunday school classes to female convicts in East Cambridge Jail.” This was the biggest turn in her career yet. When she came to visit, she was noticing that these females were being treated inhumanely. (Parry) “The mentally ill people were being kept away from the other [prisoners], chained, laying in dark enclosed spaces in their own filth, without adequate clothing and abused physically and sexually.” (Reddi) Unfortunately, most of the places she had toured for mental health were almost identical to this one. Dix took this matter onto her shoulders and brought it to court where she fought many battles for the justice of these women. This was her drive to help improve the prisons. In 1843, she sent her first “memorial” to the Massachusetts legislature. This letter had Dorothea’s “vivid and upsetting descriptions.. damning the existence of these abuses and shaming political leaders into taking action on her behalf, and on behalf of the “inmates” of the institution.” (Parry) She won her case and was investing her time into creating places for these women to keep them safe. With the next couple decades, her efforts to help went far and wide. She established 32 mental hospitals world-wide. In the states, she had thirteen of them. Those hospitals were in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina and Maryland. Within forty years of creating only thirteen hospitals, the United States alone gained 110 more hospitals.

Her career didn't stop there. At age 59, she became a union army nurse. She didn't have any medical training, but the skills that she had from her past impressed the secretary. Before Dorothea was able to join the nurses in the army, the union was made up of all men. She was able to convince the men that women could do the same job, keep up and do just as good. Just like she wasn't impressed with the prison, she wasn't impressed with the military nurses. She pushed for many improvements in the medical establishments. (Geisberg) As a nurse, she saved thousands of lives of those soldiers, and opened a door for women so that they could work as nurses as well.

After her nursing career with the military, she decided to dedicate the rest of her life improving the jails and hospitals for the mentally ill. She retired at 82 years old and died only three short years later.

Dorothea Dix has made a huge impact on our society today and that is visible all around the world with the asylums. Over her lifespan, she published five books, became one of the first female nurses for the army, and was known as the most effective social advocate for the humanity reform for the American institutions. She also traveled the world multiple times to investigate all of the institutions and made sure people were being treated with the care and help they needed. Dorothea Dix did more in fifteen years, then an average person does in their whole life. With the 10,000 hours of caring for her loved ones while growing up, the family legacy of her parents, and her special opportunities she had because of moving in with her grandma, Dorothea Dix became very successful.

“If I am cold, they are cold; if I am weary, they are distressed. If I’m alone, the are abandoned.” –Dorothea Dix

Work Citied

Gladwell, Malcom. “Outliers” Little Brown Company. 18 Nov. 2008. Print.

Ghareeb, LaDonna. “Dix, Dorothea.” Learning to Give. Web. 02 May 2015.

Giesberg, Judith. “Ms. Dix Comes to Washington.” New York Times. New York Times Company. 27 April 2011 Web journal. 02 May 2015.

Nadav, Kurtz. “Paraiso.” New York Times Videos. Sep. 9, 2013. Web. April 26, 2015.

Reddi, Vanessa. “Dorothea Lynde Dix” Truth about Nursing. 26, August 2005. Web. 02, May 2015.

Parry, Manon. “Dorothea Dix.” American Journal of Public Health 94. 4. (2006):624–625. Print.

Scott, Alastair. “Fatal Attraction.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company. May 18, 1997 Journal. April 8. 2015.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katelyn Monnier, a sophmore at Bethel University in St. Paul Minnesota seeking a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Monnier is in dance and enjoys to play softball. She likes Chipotle, Dr. Pepper, Country music and Luke Bryan. She loves spending her days in country riding four-wheelers and shooting trap.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED

I've learned that while in a writing class, it is a judgement free zone. You shouldn't be afraid to tell your story.

Becoming successful is caused by the cultural legacy, the family background, the special opportunities, and the 10,000 hours of work you put into it.

Naming the dog in the stories is the key to a fantastic story. It makes it your own and keeps it interesting.

I've learned that great writers pose questions.

If you’re a great writer, you will never start with paragraph with a quote.

Great writers have the guts to dig deeper into honesty. Don’t by shy!

I have learned that it is really important to re-read your drafts. Even though, reading the same paper over and over is boring, it only makes it perfect.

A little writing a day actually helps you become a successful writer.

Researching a topic really isn't that hard. Here at Bethel, there are plenty of sources to help you! The people in the library are a great start! They have great tips and will show you good sites to use. Don’t be afraid to get help.

Great writers drop you into the moment. They give you suspense making you wait for the big plot of the story. Remember, details to matter too!

Change up your wording. Don’t use a sentence that has already been used. Be original. Things are kept interesting that way.

I've learned to finish where you started. Present the material.

Show something in the story before having anyone hear it.

Don’t be afraid to use dialog. Dialog is a very good thing.

Have fun when writing.

Tell anecdotes-little short stories. Gladwell did this in his whole book of Outliers.

I've learned that having a thesis is a huge part of your story. If you are having trouble trying to come up with a good supporting thesis, take it to the writing center. They have great people wanting to help you.

I have learned to have a symbolic moment.

The greatest thing I have learned is that writing is art. Everyone is different when it comes down to it.