Illustration from Modern persecution; or, Insane asylums unveiled, Elizabeth P. W. Packard, 1873
Courtesy National Library of Medicine
In front of a crowd of onlookers, a sheriff forced Elizabeth Packard onto a train bound for an asylum in Jacksonville, Illinois. Packard’s husband had her committed because of her differing views on religion. After her release, Packard campaigned nationwide for the legal protection of people in asylums.
