author
Maurice A. (Maurice Alpheus) Bigelow
1872–1955
A biology teacher and public educator, this early 20th-century writer helped bring science teaching and sex education into wider public discussion. His career also reflects the troubling overlap, common in his era, between health education and the eugenics movement.
1 Audiobook
Sex-education A series of lectures concerning knowledge of sex in its relation to human life
by Maurice A. (Maurice Alpheus) Bigelow
About the author
Born in Milford Center, Ohio, in 1872, he studied biology and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1901. Much of his professional life was tied to Teachers College, Columbia University, where he taught biology and later directed practical science work.
He wrote and edited books on biology, health, and sex education for students, teachers, and general readers. He was also involved in the nature-study movement, helping found and edit Nature Study Review and serving in leadership roles connected with science and public education.
Today, his legacy is mixed. He is remembered as an early advocate for practical science teaching and sex education, but reliable historical sources also show that he was active in the social hygiene and eugenics movements, including serving as president of the American Eugenics Society during the 1940s.