Dorthea Dix was born in 1802 and died in 1887. She was social reformer who helped to improve the conditions of prisons and mental illness for over twenty years. After the attack at Fort Sumter, Dorthea, who was 59 at the time, volunteered and was appointed ahead of the workingwomen nurses in June of 1861. Her services were extended without pay. She battled stereotypes and prejudices and convinced her peers that women could do the job exceptionally. She was called "Dragon Dix" for her strict and opposing ways. Dix imposed a dress code for the women during wartimes. She took 3,000 wome…
