author
Mary Wood-Allen
1841–1908
A pioneering doctor and reformer, she wrote frank, practical books on health and self-improvement for women and children at a time when such subjects were rarely discussed openly. Her work joined medicine, education, and social activism in a way that made her a widely heard public voice.
3 Audiobooks
What a Young Woman Ought to Know
by Mary Wood-Allen
Almost A Man
by Mary Wood-Allen
Almost a Woman
by Mary Wood-Allen
About the author
Born in Delta, Ohio, in 1841, Mary Wood-Allen became an American physician, lecturer, and writer whose career crossed medicine, education, and reform. She studied at Ohio Wesleyan College and later earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1875.
Wood-Allen became known for books and lectures on health, hygiene, and moral education, especially for women and young people. She was also active in the social purity movement and worked with the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, using both public speaking and writing to argue for better-informed, more responsible approaches to family life and personal health.
Alongside her medical and reform work, she also taught music and composed. She died in 1908, leaving behind a body of writing that reflects both the ambitions and the moral debates of her era.