Alice Bunker Stockham was a pioneering physician and advocate for social reform, championing gender equality and sexual enlightenment. Through her writings and lectures, she sought to dismantle societal taboos and promote healthy living. Stockham also addressed the economic plight of disadvantaged women, actively devising ways to empower them towards self-sufficiency. Her efforts in practical education for women and children, inspired by visits to Sweden, laid groundwork for domestic and home economics classes in the United States.
Focused on women's health and well-being, this classical work has been significant throughout history. Alpha Editions has republished it in a modern format to ensure its preservation for future generations. The book has been reformatted and retyped, providing clear and readable text, unlike traditional scanned copies. This effort highlights the importance of the content while making it accessible to contemporary readers.
Excerpt from Karezza: Ethics of Marriage The author's work, Tokology, was written from years of professional experience to meet a demand among inquiring women on subjects that deeply concern the physical life of the wife and mother. In these later years the world of thought has grown and new discoveries have been made in spiritual as well as material science. In answer to hundreds of letters of inquiry I send out this message - Karezza, elucidating a theory of conjugal life, in which there is a love communion between husband and wife from which results a mastery of the physical and complete control of the fecundating power. In The Familiar Letter of Tokology subjects usually considered delicate in nature and difficult to handle are presented indirectly and briefly. In an early edition those interested in a "wiser parentage" are cited to a pamphlet written by a distinguished minister, who therein had given to the world a new and unique theory of controlling propagation. Afterwards to my regret [...]
Alice Bunker Stockham worked as a gynecologist and activist for women's rights and family planning; in Karezza she discusses the fundamentals of a successful marriage, whereby both partners are sexually and emotionally fulfilled. For Stockham, a healthy marriage was one in which the woman enjoyed freedom to pursue her hobbies and activities; where sexual relations serve to strengthen and preserve the marital union; where a household is harmonious to the point of maximizing the offspring's chances of a successful life. Arriving at this ideal situation, whereby several ethical tenets are attained by the couple, is not easy - the author, using her career and experiences as a grounding, offers suggestions and practical advice in support of her treatise. At the time Stockham published this text in 1903, there was little formal marriage guidance or counselling available. The notion that a married couple should consult a professional, that the union be steered back to prosperity and joy, was simply inconceivable. It is thus that Karezza, as a series of ideas and principles, was pioneering for its time. Stockham's arguments, soundly and eloquently stated, make the case for a successful marriage, and the social, psychological and spiritual benefits which result.