6. Poor Sanitation
Sanitation in 19th-century asylums was shockingly inadequate. Filthy bedding, soiled clothing, and a lack of clean water were the norm rather than the exception. Overflowing chamber pots and infrequent bathing created squalid conditions that fueled the rapid spread of disease and infestation. Patients, already weakened by neglect and mistreatment, were especially vulnerable to outbreaks of infection—making survival itself a daily struggle within these grim institutions.
