author
Emma F. Angell (Emma Frances Angell) Drake
1849–1934
A physician, suffragist, and reform-minded writer, she published candid guides on women's health and married life at a time when such subjects were rarely discussed openly. Her books blend practical medical advice with a strong belief in education and self-respect.
1 Audiobook
What a Young Wife Ought to Know
by Emma F. Angell (Emma Frances Angell) Drake
About the author
Born in 1849, Emma Frances Angell Drake was an American doctor and author whose work sat at the crossroads of medicine, education, and social reform. Sources about her life describe her not only as a physician and published writer, but also as a temperance advocate, women's suffragist, and later an Idaho state legislator.
Her books were written for everyday readers, especially women, and include titles such as What a Young Wife Ought to Know, What a Woman of Forty-Five Ought to Know, and Maternity Without Suffering. Contemporary and library records connect her with Boston University Medical College and with teaching and medical work in places including Northfield, Massachusetts, and Denver, giving her writing a practical, professional foundation.
Drake died in 1934, but her work remains of interest because it shows how some women writers and physicians tried to make health knowledge more accessible in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She is especially remembered for bringing subjects like marriage, motherhood, and women's bodies into plain public discussion.