Mitchell’s whole idea was that women got sick because they were trying to be like men when really they should be kept in an infantile state. So neurasthenics were sent to a nursing home, expected not to stir, to sleep abundantly, to drink great quanties of milk and red meat for weight gain, and to avoid any stimulation or excitement. Women were pushed into the feminine role (housewife, mother), men into the masculine one (being a good father and provider, picking up sports), because of this belief that illness came from deviating from one’s natural sex role. They were all prescribed sedatives
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