Summary

"Ten Days in a Mad-House" by Nellie Bly is a gripping first-person account of the author's experience feigning insanity to investigate the conditions inside the Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum. Bly, a reporter for the New York World, bravely embarks on this undercover mission to expose the mistreatment and neglect of patients within the institution. Her narrative begins with meticulous preparation, as she practices appearing insane and selects the pseudonym Nellie Brown. Bly deliberately acts erratically at a boarding home, convincing the residents and authorities of her madness, leading to her arrest and subsequent committal to Bellevue Hospital for observation.

From Bellevue, Bly is transferred to the infamous Blackwell's Island Insane Asylum. Inside, she abandons her pretense of insanity, behaving as she normally would, yet finds that her sanity is questioned and disbelieved. Bly vividly describes the harsh realities of asylum life: the cold, unsanitary conditions, the meager and often spoiled food, and the abusive treatment by nurses and staff. She recounts instances of patients being subjected to cold baths, physical violence, and neglect, highlighting the lack of proper medical care and the general indifference to their well-being. The narrative emphasizes the dehumanizing effect of the asylum environment, where patients are stripped of their dignity and individuality.

Bly details the stories of fellow patients, many of whom she believes are not actually insane but are instead poor, misunderstood, or suffering from physical ailments. She exposes the ease with which individuals can be committed based on flimsy evidence and the difficulty of proving one's sanity within the system. Bly also investigates the asylum's routines, including the forced labor of patients, the lack of mental stimulation, and the constant fear and anxiety that pervade the atmosphere. She portrays the nurses as often cruel and tyrannical, finding amusement in tormenting the patients and neglecting their basic needs. The book culminates with Bly's release after ten harrowing days, secured by her editor at the World. Her exposé leads to significant reforms and increased funding for the care of the insane in New York, leaving a lasting impact on mental health care.

The final chapters details the Grand Jury Investigation, where Bly testifies about her experiences and accompanies the jurors on a visit to Blackwell's Island. During the visit, the asylum is cleaned up and the nurses and doctors make contradictory statements. The jurors also visit the kitchen and the halls and find everything on display is in order, and no fault could be found. However, some women that Bly had talked about were nowhere to be found. Despite these circumstances, the grand jury sustained Bly's claims and advises all the changes that she had proposed. As a result of Bly's story, the committee of appropriation provides $1,000,000 more than was ever before given, for the benefit of the insane.