Martha Meir Allen

Martha Meir Allen (March 31, 1854 – 1926) was a Canadian temperance activist and writer.

Biography Allen was born at Owen Sound, Ontario. She married Rev. James E. Allen in June, 1880 and they moved to New York in 1885. She became active in the temperance movement. In 1906, she became Superintendent of the Department of Medical Temperance. To determine alcohol content Allen took samples of proprietary remedies to the Massachusetts State Board of Health for analysis. The chemists found that the preparations contained from 5 to 40 percent alcohol. She presented the results in 1887 at a convention in Buffalo, New York. It has been described as the first book that provided evidence against fraudulent patent medicine testimonials.

Selected publications

Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine (1900)