About this episode

This episode discusses the early years of Dr. Walter E. Fernald at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded and his involvement in the eugenics movement.

Send us Fan Mail This week we discuss the first two decades of Dr. Walter E. Fernald's tenure at the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded. Find out how he was able to expand the school in order to quickly grow to over 1,000 residents! Learn about Dr. Fernald's role in the eugenics movement of the early 20th century and what scholars were trying to legalize in the state of Massachusetts. My primary sources are the annual reports from the Fernald State School website. All other sources ar...

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Sarah Gallup

Topics covered

• history
• eugenics
• mental health
• psychiatric hospitals
• education
• social issues

Keywords

• Fernald State School
• Dr. Walter E. Fernald
• eugenics
• Massachusetts
• mental health
• history
• psychiatric hospitals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded, Fernald State School

Places: Massachusetts

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• Ep. 97: Interview with Jacqui Sanders · October 27, 2025 · 53 min
• Ep. 96: History of the Fernald State School (1950-2014) · September 28, 2025 · 35 min
• Ep. 95: History of the Fernald State School (1912-1949) · September 1, 2025 · 33 min

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