Dorothea Dix left home at an early age—of her own free will—to live with her grandmother. At fourteen, Dorothea was teaching school at Worcester, Massachusetts. A short time after she had begun teaching, she set up a school for young girls in her grandparents’ home. Stress was placed on moral character at Dorothea’s school, which she conducted until she was thirty-three. She was forced to give up teaching at her grandparents’ home, however, when she became ill a few years of inactivity followed. In 1841 Dorothea began to teach again, accepting a Sunday school class in the East Cambridge, Massachusetts prison. Here she first came upon insane people (精神病人) locked up together with prisoners. In those days insane people were treated even worse than prisoners. There were only a few madhouses in the entire country. Therefore prisons, poor houses, and houses of correction were used to keep the insane. Dorothea Dix made a careful investigation of the inhuman treatment of the insane. It was considered unfeminine (不适合) for a woman to devote herself to such work at this time. But this did not stop Dorothea Dix from providing proper medical care for the insane. Gradually, because of her investigations, conditions were improved. More than thirty mental institutions were founded or rebuilt in the United States because of her hard work. Dorothea also spread her investigations to England and to other parts of Europe. During the Civil War, Dorothea served as superintendent (负责) of women hospital nurses in the Union army. When the war was over, she returned to her work of improving conditions for insane people. 小题1:This article is mainly about ________. social problems of the nineteenth century how Dorothea Dix got her education how Dorothea Dix devoted herself to education how Dorothea Dix devoted herself to the work of improving conditions for insane people 小题2:How did Dorothea Dix first realize the mistreatment of insane people? Her grandmother treated the mistreatment of insane people. She worked in an insane hospital as a young woman. She taught Sunday school in a prison. She was asked to investigate the problem. 小题3:The author implies Dorothea Dix’s work with the insane was interrupted because of ________.
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