Nellie Bly on Blackwell's Island

In 1887, investigative journalist Nellie Bly decided to feign insanity to explore insane asylum Blackwell's Island from the inside. For 10 days, Bly (1864-1922) witnessed poor women taking ice cold baths, eating moldy food, forced to sit for hours on hard benches and gossiped about and cursed at by nursing staff. Bly's subsequent publication for the New York World was inhaled by the public, who demanded a grand jury investigation. A grand jury convened and explored Blackwell's Island (now Roosevelt Island) which cleaned up its act with an updated kitchen, menu, hygiene and transferred patients to other facilities. The public fervor continued however, and more than $20 million in today's currency was allotted to asylums like Blackwell's by New York State. Unfortunately, public concern has waned since 1800s America, and we see violence and death in nursing homes today, without grand jury investigations or legislative changes.

Sources:

Bly, Nellie. “Ten Days in a Mad-House.” Ten Days in a Mad-House. New York: Ian L. Munro, 1887. N. pag. U Penn Digital Library. Web. 5 Apr. 2016.

Remarkable Nellie Bly's Oil Drum, Oil and Natural Gas History, Education Resources, Museum News, Exhibits and Events, Bylines: A Photobiography of Nellie Bly, National Geographic books, page 50, 51

Barbara Maranzani, "Inside Nellie Bly’s 10 Days in a Madhouse", Biography, https://www.biography.com/news/inside-nelly-bly-10-days-madhouse

Beth Winchester, "What Nellie Bly Exposed at Blackwell’s Asylum, and Why It’s Still Important", Medium, https://medium.com/legendary-women/what-nellie-bly-exposed-at-blackwells-asylum-and-why-it-s-still-important-4591203b9dc7

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