Exploring Rest Cure Therapy in The Yellow Wallpaper

Exploring Rest Cure Therapy in The Yellow Wallpaper Rest was used as a cure for neurasthenia, but did it really work? The Yellow Wallpaper explores the concept of rest cure therapy and its effectiveness on a woman patient. The best-known doctor for treating neurasthenia was a highly regarded neurologist named Silas Weir Mitchell (Kivo 8). Women from all over the world traveled to the United States to be treated by Silas Weir Mitchell (5). Rest cure therapy included secluding the patient from family and friends and complete physical and intellectual rest (5). Many women who followed Mitchells treatment plan returned to their families cured, but there were some women whose symptoms became worse after being treated by†¦show more content†¦Not only did the rest cure therapy not work for Jane, it did not work for other prominent women suffering from neurasthenia, the same condition as Jane. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the author of The Yellow Wallpaper, and Jane Addams, a womans advocate of the early nineteen hundreds, were amo ng the few who did not respond in a positive manner to rest cure therapy. The families of Gilman and Addams protested his treatment when the woman did not get well after being under Mitchells care (Poirier 15). Mitchell believed that with food and rest, the body could gain weight, therefore, replenishing red blood cells and curing the patient (18). Mitchell also believed that the best cure for female neurasthenes was to reorient them to domestic life (19). In order for the rest cure to work, patients were secluded from family and friends and they were not allowed to read, write, sew, or sit up in bed (20). Many of Mitchells patients went home cured by his terms (23). Some of the women were not as lucky. Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Jane Addams were among the few who were not cured by Mitchells treatment. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was sent home from Mitchells care with the orders to live as domestic life as possible . . .. and never touch pen, brush, or pencil as long as you live (qtd. in Poirier 26). Jane Addams said, three months of rest only alleviated her backache (Poirier 26). Addams and Gilman were not cured after their visitShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1206 Words   |  5 PagesCharlotte Perkins Gilman wrote, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† in 1892. She brings to light a typical agenda for a female in a patriarchal society. It presents the relationship between men and women. Women were only considered for marriage and motherhood. Men were suited to pursue education and have a career. Women’s roles in society robbed them of expression. This left no one happy. Women wanted the same opportunities. Gilman wrote â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† to prove to readers that women have rights. WomenRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper, By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1500 Words   |  6 Pagesan effective treatment for this mood disorder for decades. During the late 1800s, one of the treatment options available for those suffering with depression and other nervous illnesses was the rest cure. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† gives insight to the controversial rest cure, which would be a success for some, but drove others to complete insanity. Depression has become overwhelmingly noticeable in today’s society. It affects an estimated eighteen million AmericansRead MoreMarketing Management 14th Edition Test Bank Kotler Test Bank173911 Words   |  696 Pagesmake movies. Answer: D Page Ref: 40 Objective: 2 AACSB: Analytic skills Difficulty: Easy 43) A characteristic of a ________ is that it can be a single business or collection of related businesses that can be planned separately from the rest of the company. A) strategic business unit B) subsidiary unit C) merged unit D) niche market unit E) specialized business unit Answer: A Page Ref: 41 Objective: 2 Difficulty: Moderate 44) A strategic-planning gap can be corrected by