Sheppard Pratt Hospital

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Moses Sheppard was born in 1775. He came to Baltimore, Maryland as a young man and through hard work and business acumen, amassed a fortune as a merchant. He was a member of the Religious Society of Friends, and in keeping with the concerns of the Quakers, he had a strong interest in social causes which he actualized as the warden of the city's poor and as commissioner of the prison. In these capacities Sheppard became aware of the inhumane treatment accorded persons with mental illnesses, or "lunatics" as they were then called.For the most part, prior to the Civil War, there was no attempt on the part of society to manage or abate the symptoms of mental illnesses. Delusional, delirious, and aggressive behavior was particularly challenging, and those who suffered from these symptoms were often chained or kept in cages by their desperate families. Many eventually escaped, wandered and ended up in almshouses and jails where they were confined, restrained and treated inhumanely, even brutally. A movement for humane treatment of persons with mental illnesses, born in France and England, found fertile ground in America the mid-1800's with the creation of a handful of progressive institutions on the East Coast where therapeutic treatment was provided in the form of warm baths, tranquil garden walks, moderate exercise, productive structured activities, and kindness and compassion on the part of the staff.Dorothea Lynde Dix, a nationally prominent social reformer, took up the cause. In 1851 she visited Moses Sheppard to enlist his support in her efforts to induce the Maryland legislature to establish a state institution for the humane care of the insane. Sheppard was inspired, but his vision was of an institution unfettered by political control. A man of action, decisive about the cause, Sheppard secured a charter from the Maryland General Assembly for the establishment of The Sheppard Asylum. Final incorporation took place in 1853. His plan stipulated the following: Courteous treatment and comfort of all patients; that no patient was to be confined below ground; all were to have privacy, sunlight and fresh air; the asylum's purpose was to be curative, combining science and experience for the best possible results; and that only income, not principal would be used to build and operate the asylum. As a result of the last stipulation, the opening and the admission of the first patient was delayed until 1891, 34 years after Moses Sheppard's death.

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