author
Martha Meir Allen
1854–1926
A Canadian writer and temperance reformer, she turned medical and social debates of her time into clear, persuasive books. Her work is especially remembered for arguing against the use of alcohol as medicine.
1 Audiobook
Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and Why What Medical Writers Say
by Martha Meir Allen
About the author
Born in Prince Edward County, Ontario, on March 31, 1854, she became known as both a writer and a temperance activist. She was active in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and focused much of her work on public health, especially the medical and social effects of alcohol.
Her best-known book, Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and Why, gathered medical arguments against prescribing alcohol as treatment. She also wrote other practical reform-minded works, including Safe Remedies in Illness.
Remembered today as part of a wider movement of women writers and organizers, she used accessible, purposeful prose to connect health, morality, and social reform for everyday readers.