Response to Jekyll & Hyde Pre Reading Assignment

         The article I chose to read about was the first one, talking about Mental Illness in the 19th century. This explores how these illnesses were treated and how they became more concern with people who have this syndrome. According to the passage, Dorothea Dix was the first one who brought up the idea of caring for these people, based on her reaction when she volunteered to teach women prisoners. Not only can mental illness be genetic, it can also be caused from alcoholism, masturbation, and even heredity. Earlier, the first colonists believed this insanity came from witchcraft, and these people were treated poorly as they were sent to alms homes, prisons, or even left alone untreated. I was shocked and surprised at how mental illness is seriously dangerous. It gave me a totally different view of these people. I was also surprised at in the earlier days, colonists wouldn't have care for them, but treat them like garbage. Now, I have a true understanding of mental illness.