Dorothea Lynde Dix was born on April 4, 1802 in Hampden, Maine. She was a pioneer in the treatment of the mentally ill. “She was instrumental in founding 32 mental hospitals, 15 schools for the feeble minded, a school for the blind, and numerous training facilities for nurses. Her efforts were an indirect inspiration for the building of many additional institutions for the mentally ill. She also helped establish libraries in prisons, mental hospitals and other institutions.” (New World Encyclopedia). Dix was the oldest of three children. Her father taught her to read and write and she taught her siblings. When Dix was fifteen years old she started a school which she ran for three years. Dix also started writing books. Dorothea Dix became