Dix

Dix, Dorothea Lynde,

an American humanitarian who achieved fame as a social reformer, primarily for her work in improving prison conditions and care of the mentally ill. During her lifetime she helped to establish mental institutions in 30 states and in Canada. During the U.S. Civil War she was appointed superintendent of army nurses for government hospitals.

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Dix [diks]

Dorothea Lynde (1802–1887). American humanitarian. Born in Hampden, Maine, Miss Dix contributed to the establishment and improvement of many insane asylums and prisons in the United States, Europe, and Japan, beginning with the establishment of the Boston Lunatic Asylum in 1839. During the Civil War she was appointed Superintendent of Female Nurses and organized the first nurse corps of the United States Army.