User:NatFee/George Zeller

Dr. George A. Zeller was... (description)

Early Life
George Anthony Zeller was born on November 1858 in Spring Bay, Illinois. His father was a doctor who emigrated from Germany.

He studied at the University of Illinois in 1873. He entered the Medical Department at the University of St. Louis and graduated in March 1879. In 1883, Zeller attended Rush Medical College.

He married Sophie Klein in 1889. Lorado Taft was his best man.

In 1899, Zeller served in the Phillippines as Acting Assistant Surgeon for the United States Army. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in 1901. He also served during the cholera epidemic of 1902 in Manila.

Peoria State Hospital
The Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane, later known as the Peoria State Hospital, opened in 1902. Zeller was the first hospital superintendent in 1898.

"Along with unlocking doors, removing bars and abolishing the use of narcotic drugs, Zeller instituted an eight-hour day for employees and championed women at the institution, putting female nurses in charge. He also stressed a healthy diet for patients while rejecting uniforms."

Opened under the name “Illinois Asylum for the Incurable Insane,” Dr. Zeller petitioned to have the name changed to "Illinois General Hospital" and later changed to “Peoria State Hospital” as he did not believe anyone to be “incurable.” Dr. Zeller wanted to run a new kind of institution which treated people with mental illnesses humanely. He took all of the bars off the doors and windows, removed all types of restraint, and instituted new, holistic types of therapies. Dr. Zeller was considered mad for refusing to lock his patients up or tie them to beds, but his open-door policy meant his patients were treated with human kindness and empathy.

In 1913, he was promoted to the Board of Administration by Governor.

Zeller took a leave of absence for 6 years, returning in 1921.

Zeller retired in 1935.

"Zeller purchased the grounds of old Jubilee College in 1931, which he later turned over to the state of Illinois."

Politics
In 1914, Zeller campaigned for Congress in the 16th district as a Republican candidate.

Death
Zeller died on June 30, 1938 of heart disease. He is buried in Springdale Cemetery of Peoria, Illinois.