Ten Days In A Mad-House

Bly continued to observe the poor treatment and harsh conditions faced by the patients, such as Miss Tillie Mayard, who suffered severely from the cold. Bly pleaded with the nurses for additional clothing, pointing out the cruelty of keeping patients in such conditions. The nurses dismissed her concerns, insisting that Mayard was dressed as warmly as everyone else. Mayard collapsed into a fit; Miss Neville tried to help her and was told by a nurse to let Mayard fall to “teach her a lesson” (75). After Bly complained to Superintendent Dent about the nurses’ behavior, food, and insufficient clothing, he responded with only temporary concern.

Bly witnessed the neglect and abuse of other patients, including Urena Little-Page, who was taunted and physically punished by the nurses. They mocked Urena’s sensitivity about her age until she became increasingly upset, and then they slapped her, choked her, and locked her in a closet. This violent punishment seemed to spur the nurses on, and they soon targeted an elderly woman, dragging her out of the room by her hair and forcing her into the closet. Bly attempted to report this abuse to the doctors, but they ignored her.