Mary Abel (c. 1850–1938) is an American writer known for her work in home economics and nutrition which mainly revolved around the publication of pamphlets and her book, ''Successful Family Life on the Moderate Income''.

Early life and education

Little is known about Abel's life until her marriage to John J. Abel in 1883. Abel moved to Europe with her husband after his postgraduate year at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

. In 1891, Mary and John returned to the United States where Mary began her work in home economics and nutrition. Abel initially moved to the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

but relocated to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 1893. She and her husband John both died in 1938.

Career

While in Europe, Mary learned enough German to allow her to write ''Practical Sanitary and Economic Cooking'' in English and German after she returned to the United States. Abel also became interested in comparative methods of domestic economy in Europe, causing her to initiate work with

Ellen Swallow Richards Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (December 3, 1842 – March 30, 1911) was an American industrial and safety engineer, environmental chemist, and university faculty member in the United States during the 19th century. Her pioneering work in ...

at the New England Kitchen. The first publication by Abel, Richards, and others was published in 1892 on the science of nutrition. Abel produced many popular pamphlets for the Rumford Kitchen, established by Richards, for the Chicago World's Fair. In 1893, Abel's husband was appointed to the position of professor of

pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

at Johns Hopkins University and, after the move to Baltimore, began new work in nutrition, writing pamphlets on the nutritional value of various foods for the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

and children's nutrition for the American Public Health Association. Abel served as a founding member of the Ellen Swallow Richards Lake Placid Conferences that operated from 1899 to 1908. The conferences were developed with the intention of discussing the betterment of the home and were a push into the up-and-coming home economics movement. Abel also was an early member of the American Home Economics movement and was an editor of the ''Journal of Home Economics'', founded by Richards. Abel continued to produce pamphlets on the prevention of infectious diseases, such as typhoid fever. Abel's best known work, ''Successful Family Life on the Moderate Income'', was published in 1921. Abel's book detailed how individuals of limited means could live well. Abel apparently used these methods in her own home very effectively.

Honors

Mary's book, ''Practical Sanitary and Economic Cooking'', earned her the Lomb prize by the American Public Health Association in 1890.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Abel, Mary 1850s births 1938 deaths American women nutritionists American nutritionists American food writers Expatriates in the German Empire