Ten Days in a Mad-House

About the book

"Ten Days in a Mad-House; or, Nellie Bly's Experience on Blackwell's Island." by Bly is an investigative journalism book published in 1887. Journalist Nellie Bly feigns insanity to get committed to the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. Once inside, she documents the brutal conditions: abusive nurses, spoiled food, freezing baths in filthy water, and patients tied with ropes. Her undercover exposé sparked public outrage and led to a grand jury investigation that transformed asylum oversight and funding.