What was the rest cure in the 1800s?

The rest cure was a strictly enforced regime of six to eight weeks of bed rest and isolation, without any creative or intellectual activity or stimulation. It was often accompanied by massage and electrotherapy, as well as a fatty diet, rich in milk and meat.

When was the rest cure used?

Mitchell told Gilman, who underwent the Rest Cure in 1887 during a bout of postpartum depression, to “live as domestic a life as possible” and “never to touch pen, brush or pencil again.” By contrast, nervous men were encouraged to engage in vigorous physical activity out West, and to write about the experience.

What was the rest cure in the Yellow Wallpaper?

Gilman was treated with the “rest cure”, devised by Mitchell, as is the protagonist of the story; like an infant, she was dosed, fed at regular intervals and above all ordered to rest. Mitchell instructed Gilman to live as domestic a life as possible “and never touch pen, brush or pencil as long as you live”.

What is the work cure?

Herbert James Hall, MD (1870-1923), was a pioneer in the systematic and organized study of occupation as therapy for persons with nervous and mental disorders that he called the “work cure.” He began his work in 1904 during the early years of the Arts and Crafts Movement in the United States.

What were the elements of the rest cure?

The cure, which was prescribed almost exclusively for women, had three core elements: isolation, rest, and feeding, with electro- therapy and massage added to counteract muscle atrophy.

How did Gilman respond to the rest cure?

Gilman was fed, bathed, and massaged; she responded well to treatment and after a month was sent home with the prescription to live as domestically as possible, keep her child with her at all times, lie down for one hour after each meal, and to never touch a pen, brush, or pencil for the rest of her life.

What is the moral of The Yellow Wallpaper?

Because one of the ‘morals’ of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ – if ‘moral’ is not too strong a word to use of such a story – is that the husband’s treatment of his wife’s mental illness only succeeds in making her worse, rather than better, until her condition reaches the point where she is completely mad, suffering from