Clelia Duel Mosher
The Victorian era was a very restrictive period in history. Many modern ideals are in direct contrast to the beliefs of the time. Individuals, like Clelia Duel Mosher, rose up and chose to defy Victorians standards in pursuit of new truths. She contributed greatly to women’s health through her studies which in turn provided a database of knowledge for the feminist movement in the United States. Influenced by her father Dr. Cornelius Mosher, the interest of science and health came to her at a young age. Due to women’s limited status during the Victorian Era the level of education she attained and the context of her studies were progressive and a positive influence towards the feminist movement. She led in the way that she did not fear to prove that women were not physical weaker due to their menstruation . Also in the way that success did not mean economic gain as she rather own a private practice with little profits rather than work under any male gynecologist. Through her studies, some of which were published after her death, she created a space in which women could begin to accept sexual satisfaction and denounce invalid accounts of women’s health.
Clelia Mosher’s central focus was on strengthening the status of a women through her health studies. Though at a young age Mosher herself was unhealthy due to a battle with tuberculosis she still managed to work and save money to begin her educational endeavor. She graduated with a major in Biology from Stanford University. In the process of attaining a master’s degree she was able to prove that what was thought to be a breathing deficiency natural to woman was far from biological and instead attributed to the societal norm that a woman should wear a corset. To continue with her interest in health she studied at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Her Educational achievement supports her position in Women’s Leadership. As mentioned previously, her desire to open her own practice in California as an alternative to working with Dr. Howard Atwood Kelly is also a professional move that conveys her as a woman leader. It was said that she preferred to work independently, but even so she chose to do so knowing that it would be less financially beneficial. She is also a feminist leader because she was well aware of women’s issues and she worked within the field of health to improve women’s lives. Her studies sparked changes from what women should wear, women’s activities during menstruation, to the intimacy of women’s sexual pleasure—a study that was published posthumously.
Her accomplishments came at a time when women’s educational capacity was not respected, but at a time in which there was a need for women to expand their educational frame. Mosher conducted her studies and research while teaching at Stanford at the brink of the feminist movement. Though she did not lead this movement, she was passionate about improving women’s health. Her work was the framework that began to improve the health of all American women. Her research on menstruation was physically beneficial to women, but it also disproved the notion that “a woman’s uterus controlled both her physical and mental life, making her naturally weak, submissive, uncreative, emotional, intuitive, and inferior in comparison to men” (Campbell 122). Although, Clelia Duel Mosher’s work did not result in immediate change in the perception of women, like many other influential women of this time she was able to make an impact in the way that women ought to be perceived. Directly she exposed the negative effects of Victorian traditions to women’s health and indirectly she achieved to open up the arena of new discussions in concern to health.
Works Cited
Campbell, Ballard C. The Human Trsdition In The Guilded Age and Progressive Era. 3.
Wilmington: Scholarly Resources Inc., 2000. 119-135. Print
Platoni, Kara. "The Sex Scholar." http://www.stanfordalumni.org. Stanford Magazine, 2010.
Web. 16 Feb 2012.
