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the same filthy water. Even when the water was eventually changed, the staff did not scrub or clean out the bath, instead throwing the next patient into a stained, dirty tub. The patients also shared bath towels, with healthy patients forced to dry themselves with a towel previously used by patients with skin inflammations, boils, or open sores. Nellie recalled the bathing ritual with trepidation, stating:
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6 a.m. until 8 p.m. on straight-back benches, do not allow her to talk or move during these hours, give her no reading and let her know nothing of the world or its doings, give her bad food and harsh treatment, and see how long it will take to make her insane. Two months would make her a mental and physical wreck.
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What, excepting torture, would produce insanity quicker than this treatment? Here is a class of women sent to be cured. I would like the expert physicians who are condemning me for my action, which has proven their ability, to take a perfectly sane and healthy woman, shut her up and make her sit from
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A particularly memorable experience for Nellie were the baths that the patients received. The bathwater was frigid and buckets of it were poured over their heads, after which the patients were roughly washed and scrubbed by attendants. The bath water was rarely changed, with many patients bathing in
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to launch its own investigation with Bly assisting. The jury's report resulted in an $ 850,000 increase in the budget of the
Department of Public Charities and Corrections. The grand jury also ensured that future examinations were more thorough such that only the seriously ill were committed to the
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broth, spoiled beef, bread that was little more than dried dough, and dirty undrinkable water. The dangerous patients were tied together with ropes. The patients were made to sit for much of each day on hard benches with scant protection from the cold. Waste was all around the eating places. Rats
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Once admitted to the asylum, Bly abandoned any pretense at mental illness and began to behave as she would normally. The hospital staff seemed unaware that she was no longer "insane" and instead began to report her ordinary actions as symptoms of her illness. Even her pleas to be released were
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I left the insane ward with pleasure and regret–pleasure that I was once more able to enjoy the free breath of heaven; regret that I could not have brought with me some of the unfortunate women who lived and suffered with me, and who, I am convinced, are just as sane as I was and am now
419:, Nellie spoke of how the main physician that performed her examination was more focused on the attractive nurse that was assisting the examination than with Nellie herself. While physicians and staff worked to explain how she had deceived so many professionals, Bly's report prompted a
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The book received widespread acclaim. The combination of her reportage and the release of her content brought her fame and led to a grand jury investigation and financial increase in the
Department of Public Charities and Corrections.
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Several doctors then examined her; all declared her insane. "Positively demented," said one, "I consider it a hopeless case. She needs to be put where someone will take care of her." The head of the insane pavilion at
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My teeth chattered and my limbs were goose-fleshed and blue with cold. Suddenly I got, one after the other, three buckets of water over my head—ice-cold water, too—into my eyes, my ears, my nose and my mouth.
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Bly experienced the deplorable conditions firsthand. The nurses behaved obnoxiously and abusively, telling the patients to shut up, and beating them if they did not. The food consisted of
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enters
Briarcliff Asylum on false pretenses with the intent of exposing patient abuses, only to be discovered and committed for being a lesbian.
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The question in hand was how Nellie managed to convince professionals of her insanity in the first place. As revealed in her first hand account,
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interpreted as further signs of mental illness. Speaking with her fellow patients, Bly was convinced that some were as "sane" as she was.
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pronounced her "undoubtedly insane". The case of the "pretty crazy girl" attracted media attention: "Who Is This Insane Girl?" asked the
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wrote of the "mysterious waif" with the "wild, haunted look in her eyes" and her desperate cry: "I can't remember I can't remember."
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for which she agreed to feign insanity to investigate reports of brutality and neglect at the Women's
Lunatic Asylum on
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and later released as a book, caused a sensation and brought her lasting fame. Of her release, Bly wrote:
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Published with "Miscellaneous
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was "crazy," and the next morning summoned the police. Taken to a courtroom, she claimed to have
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in 1887 for New York City. Penniless after four months, she talked her way into the offices of
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753:"IN AND ABOUT THE CITY; A MYSTERIOUS WAIF. BELLEVUE SHELTERS A GIRL OF WHOM NOTHING IS KNOWN."
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901:"Kate Mara To Topline Nellie Bly Drama Series Project For eOne & Bond Producers"
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After a night spent practicing expressions in front of a mirror, she checked into a
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premiered an original musical created by
Jennifer Hedstrom and Karen Saari titled
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crawled all around the hospital. On the effect of her experiences, she wrote:
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An illustration from the book, showing Bly's preparation for the project
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215: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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as Bly, executive produced by Mara, Thorp, and
Carolyn Newman for
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146:. Bly later compiled the articles into a book, being published by
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secured Bly's release from the asylum. Her report, published in
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STUDIES: Women still struggle in male-dominated film industry
634:"Ten Days in a Madhouse: The Woman Who Got Herself Committed"
140:. It was initially published as a series of articles for the
879:"Escape from the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story first look"
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The book was based on articles written while Bly was on an
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In
September 2017, a TV series was announced based on
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685:"Nellie Bly's Lessons in Writing What You Want To"
341:One doctor described Bly as "positively demented"
1046:Works originally published in the New York World
929:. Isthmus Community Media, Inc. 30 June 2022.
8:
613:Psychiatric hospital § Undercover journalism
334:. The judge concluded she had been drugged.
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469:Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story
771:"In and About the City: A Mysterious Waif"
25:
18:
724:Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist
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437:A low-budget independent film version of
275:Learn how and when to remove this message
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652:
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899:Andreeva, Nellie (5 September 2017).
7:
455:and Julia Chantrey, was released in
213:adding citations to reliable sources
512:, written by Sarah Thorp, starring
1036:Works set in psychiatric hospitals
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1051:Books about psychiatric hospitals
524:and The Frederick Zollo Company.
136:is a book by American journalist
16:American literature by Nellie Bly
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860:, Tom Henderson, Filmfiles.tv.
200:needs additional citations for
173:(now called Roosevelt Island).
683:Gregory, Alice (14 May 2014).
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494:American Horror Story: Asylum
964:. New York: Norman L. Munro.
777:. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
1003:public domain audiobook at
501:. Investigative journalist
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1041:American non-fiction books
632:Bill DeMain (2 May 2011).
795:digital.library.upenn.edu
791:"Ten Days in a Mad-House"
657:TIME Staff (2009-04-12).
459:from Pendragon Pictures.
224:"Ten Days in a Mad-House"
24:
923:"Ten Days in a Madhouse"
773:. Undercover Reporting.
728:. Times Books. pp.
720:Kroeger, Brooke (1994).
659:"Top 10 Literary Stunts"
534:Music Theatre of Madison
56:Investigative journalism
20:Ten Days in a Mad-House
1011:Ten Days in a Mad-House
974:Ten Days in a Mad-House
960:Ten Days in a Mad-House
950:Ten Days in a Mad-House
466:debuted a movie called
417:Ten Days in a Mad-House
133:Ten Days in a Mad-House
119:Ten Days in a Mad-House
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1000:Ten Days in a Madhouse
843:10 Days in a Mad House
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661:. Time. Archived from
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167:Women's Lunatic Asylum
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497:was vaguely based on
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480:as Matron Grady, and
462:On January 19, 2019,
440:10 Days in a Madhouse
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305:undercover assignment
159:undercover assignment
532:On August 19, 2022,
209:improve this article
956:Nellie Bly (1887).
775:New York University
608:Rosenhan experiment
449:Christopher Lambert
290:Pittsburgh Dispatch
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864:2015-04-02 at the
758:The New York Times
359:The New York Times
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309:Blackwell's Island
171:Blackwell's Island
989:Project Gutenberg
979:Project Gutenberg
948:The full text of
846:official website.
739:978-0-8129-1973-8
665:on April 16, 2009
600:Philosophy portal
572:Psychology portal
558:Psychiatry portal
518:Entertainment One
348:Bellevue Hospital
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472:which stars
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202:verification
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148:Norman Munro
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66:Norman Munro
482:Josh Bowman
443:, starring
428:Adaptations
1025:Categories
985:Audio book
903:. Deadline
885:2019-01-19
800:2018-10-13
694:2017-08-23
669:2013-04-23
640:2013-04-23
619:References
421:grand jury
235:newspapers
138:Nellie Bly
124:Wikisource
38:Nellie Bly
815:The World
710:Bly 1887.
514:Kate Mara
411:Reception
399:The World
395:The World
154:in 1887.
99:paperback
62:Publisher
1005:LibriVox
907:20 April
881:. EW.com
862:Archived
544:See also
464:Lifetime
447:as Bly,
424:asylum.
181:Research
161:for the
95:hardback
44:Language
927:Isthmus
406:myself.
332:amnesia
249:scholar
93:Print (
47:English
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522:Danjaq
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34:Author
730:91–92
371:gruel
256:JSTOR
242:books
106:Pages
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1016:IMDb
909:2019
734:ISBN
457:2015
228:news
114:Text
97:and
77:1887
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