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In the 19th and 20th centuries, reformers in the United States and Europe built asylums in response to a range of social issues including disability - mental health, and alcoholism. These documents and images from the NLM Digital Collections bring to life the day to day experiences of people at these sites: the conditions of the asylums and the limits on liberty that many people in them experienced.
Patient ball at the Insane Asylum on Blackwell’s Island, illustration by W.H. Davenport, NY, Harper’s Weekly, 1865
Courtesy National Library of Medicine
Often, officials at asylums worked to rehabilitate people with social and recreational activities such as sports, concerts, theater, and dances.
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National Institutes of Health, Health & Human Services
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National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894
National Institutes of Health, Health & Human Services
Freedom of Information Act , NLM Customer Support