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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.
Shobal Vail Clevenger, 1892
Courtesy National Library of Medicine
The psychiatrist Dr. Shobal Clevenger fought neglect and corruption at public asylums in Illinois. His advocacy led to criminal convictions and some reforms. He faced death threats because of this investigation and eventually left the asylum field altogether.
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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