8Ten Days in a Mad-House, describing New York City's most notorious mental institution, were written by journalist Nellie Bly in 1887. It was no mere armchair observation, because Bly got herself committed to Blackwell's and wrote a shocking expos called Ten Days In A Madhouse. The series of articles became a best-selling book, launching Bly's career as a world-famous investigative reporter and also helping bring reform to the asylum.