The Strange Case of Dr. Henry Cotton

An activist who worked to help for low-income mentally ill people, Dorothea Lynde Dix, founded the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in 1848 in New Jersey. Psychiatrist Henry Andrew Cotton became the head of the facility in 1907.

His purpose was not merely to care for these clients with psychiatric conditions, but to cure them. He believed there was a connection between microbiology and psychiatry, a newly discovered area of medicine at that time. New studies were considered to show bacteria and infection as the real cause of numerous conditions. Using his position at the hospital, Cotton used and tested “surgical bacteriology” which he thought would cure mental problems.

Cotton thought that to stop mental illness, which was the consequence of infection, it was necessary to surgically eliminate the source of the infection. Upon taking the job at the Trenton Hospital, his beliefs were reinforced by what he saw--the agony and filth the individuals were in and the abuse of the individuals by the guards and staff.

Most of the patients had rotted teeth and Cotton assumed that bacteria was invading the patient’s bodies through these rotten teeth and causing their psychological problems. Cotton started extracting their teeth in an attempt to cure them. When the patients did not get better, he simply removed more teeth.

He believed the disease may be cured if there is no infection left in the body so he moved to taking out tonsils, and other parts of the body also. Many patients died, but he considered the deaths to be a normal result of the treatment.

Cotton was ultimately brought under review because of the high mortality rate at the hospital. He was eventually forced to leave the facility and due to that, had his teeth removed along with his wife’s teeth and also the teeth of his two kids.

He continued to do surgeries and spread his revolutionary ideas. He conducted colectomies on children to prevent mental illness and prevent bad habits and masturbation.

Fortunately we live in a time where removing parts of the body isn’t the source of psychiatric malpractice! We would love to hear any wacky medical malpractice stories you may have. Contact us today!