The Rest Cure was a medical treatment popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, primarily designed to address various nervous disorders. It involved enforced physical and mental inactivity, often for extended periods, coupled with specific dietary regimens and other interventions. This approach aimed to restore a patient’s energy and nervous system function through complete rest and isolation from daily stresses.
Origins and Guiding Principles
The Rest Cure was developed by American neurologist Dr. S. Weir Mitchell in the late 19th century, first described in 1873. Mitchell first applied it to injured Civil War veterans for nerve tissue recovery. He later adapted the cure for nervous invalids, outlining his methods in his 1877 book, Fat and Blood: and How to Make Them.
The concept of “neurasthenia,” or nervous exhaustion, was a prevailing medical understanding of the time. This catch-all diagnosis included symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, headaches, and insomnia, believed to stem from depleted “nerve force.” Mitchell’s guiding principle was that physical and mental inactivity, combined with weight gain, were necessary to rebuild this depleted nerve force.
Components of the Rest Cure
The Rest Cure involved a highly structured and rigorous regimen. Patients were typically confined to bed for several weeks, sometimes months. During this period, they experienced complete isolation from family and friends, with visits strictly forbidden.
Patients were often not permitted to read, write, sew, or engage in conversation, aiming for strict avoidance of intellectual stimulation. A special nurse stayed in the room, feeding the patient and preventing self-care or movement. This passive role minimized exertion.
A significant component was forced feeding, often involving high-calorie, high-fat diets. Mitchell believed that gaining weight and “fat and blood” was directly linked to improved health, sometimes weighing patients daily to track progress. This diet often included large quantities of milk and even raw eggs. Massage and electrotherapy were also applied to counteract muscle atrophy from prolonged bed rest and stimulate circulation.
Criticism and Historical Impact
The Rest Cure, despite its initial popularity, eventually faced significant criticism and declined in use. Patients often reported negative psychological effects, including feelings of infantilization, powerlessness, and increased despair due to isolation and lack of agency. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a notable patient, famously critiqued the treatment in her short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” describing how it brought her “perilously near to losing her mind.”
The cure was disproportionately applied to women, particularly those diagnosed with neurasthenia or hysteria, often for conditions now understood as social or psychological rather than purely physical. Mitchell and his contemporaries often believed that intellectual pursuits or ambitions in women were detrimental to their health, and the Rest Cure served to reinforce traditional gender roles by restricting female patients’ activities. For men with similar symptoms, Mitchell often prescribed a “West Cure,” involving strenuous outdoor activity.
The rise of new psychological theories, such as Freudian psychoanalysis and other forms of talk therapy, contributed to the obsolescence of the Rest Cure. By the early 20th century, the medical community began to question the efficacy and potential harm of prolonged bed rest, with studies later confirming its adverse physiological effects. The shift from “rest cure” to “work cure” reflected a broader change in medical and societal understanding of mental health, moving towards more active and psychologically informed treatments.