480 
CHARLES HENRY NICHOLS. 
and reform in the care of the insane. He soon learned that 
for such true disciples there was no rest, and that no revela¬ 
tion of truth, no account of noble virtue is ever lost. His 
suggestions in the direction of amelioration had impressed 
themselves favorably upon the leading alienists of the coun¬ 
try, as well as on some of those responsible under the laws 
for the care of this class of unfortunates. Men of the char¬ 
acter, acquirements, and capabilities of Doctor Nichols were 
in demand, and before he had time to sail for Europe, or even 
adjust his private affairs, his services were sought for in an 
unexpected quarter. 
President Fillmore invited him to an interview at the 
White House, which ended in his proffering to him the 
position of physician and superintendent of the hospital 
authorized by act of Congress to be founded in the District 
of Columbia for the care and treatment of the insane of the 
army and navy and of the marine hospital service of the 
United States and of the District of Columbia. This was a 
position requiring a man of comprehensive views and varied 
accomplishments in medicine, the arts and sciences, in archi¬ 
tecture, and the hygienic requirements of a large and im¬ 
portant Government institution that should meet in a 
satisfactory manner its present needs and further demands 
which w r ere sure to be made upon it. Doctor Nichols had, 
unknown to himself, been recommended to President Fill¬ 
more by Miss Dorothea L. Dix and other prominent and 
influential persons throughout this country as eminently 
fitted by his character and studies for this responsible posi¬ 
tion. Reluctantly giving up his contemplated trip to 
Europe, he accepted the trust and came to Washington in 
October, 1852. He became a bonded officer of the Govern- 
ment and was placed in full charge by the Secretary of the 
Department of the Interior to select the site and to erect and 
equip the establishment authorized as a Government Hos¬ 
pital for the Insane. 
Dr. Nichols was assisted in the selection of the site for the 
hospital by Miss Dix, and they certainly chose the finest 
