What Is Visible by Kimberly Elkins
" Sarah was stung by the remark and realized she was being dismissed. Laura adored Dorothea Dix and was always on her best behavior for those visits. The reformer was nearly as devoted to Laura's cause as she was to helping the insane. Nearly ten years had passed since she'd brought about the changes to Massachusetts' asylums. Before her graphic reportage, the poor lunatics had been tied up, kept in pens, lashed, starved. Sarah read in the paper that Miss Dix was now establishing hospitals in Illinois and North Carolina. history.com/topics/womens-history/dorothea-lynde-dix