A Beautiful Mind: Chapter 40 Summary & Analysis

At the end of January 1961, Virginia Nash and Martha arrive in Princeton. They travel to the Trenton State Hospital, where Nash is confined. The Nashes can no longer afford to have Nash stay at a private hospital, and they have agreed to commit him to Trenton State, a crowded, no-frills institution. Upon admission, Nash is assigned a serial number—which makes him feel like a prisoner—and a psychiatrist.

Some of Nash’s former colleagues are disturbed to hear that he has been incarcerated at the state hospital, which is known for its harsh treatments, including drugs, electroshock therapy, and insulin coma therapy. Despite efforts by his former colleagues to delay aggressive treatment, Nash is transferred to the insulin unit, where he is administered insulin injections that render him unconscious for several hours a day. Later, hospitals will phase out insulin shock therapy, which comes to be considered too dangerous; at the time of Nash’s hospitalization, though, insulin is one of the few treatments available for schizophrenia. After six weeks, Nash seems to be recovering.