Alice B. (Alice Bunker) Stockham

Born in 1833, Alice Bunker Stockham was an American physician, lecturer, and writer who became known for her work in women’s health and social reform. She studied medicine after marriage and built a career in Chicago, where she practiced as a doctor and advocated for better education about the body, pregnancy, and childbirth.

She wrote popular books including Tokology, a guide focused on pregnancy, birth, and women’s health, and she often addressed subjects that many of her contemporaries treated as taboo. Her writing connected medicine, self-help, and reform, and she also supported causes such as dress reform and broader opportunities for women.

Stockham’s public career brought both influence and criticism. She became especially controversial for her writings on sexuality and marriage, which challenged prevailing moral standards of her era. She died in 1912, but she remains notable as an early woman doctor who tried to give women practical knowledge and greater control over their own health.