Caring for Specific Populations (2)

Dorothea Dix, a philanthropist and social
reformer, traveled throughout the United States observing the care given the “insane” and was appalled by what she saw. She sought to convince President Franklin Pierce to allocate federal and land grant monies for establishing federal institutions to care for individuals with mental
illness. Although she initially was unsuccessful in changing the system, Dix was successful in raising public awareness about the problems of people with mental illness, and her work set the tone for an era of significant reform during the mid- to
late-1800s.