The Sexual Politics of Illness in Turn of the Century Libraries

In 1868 Dr. George Miller Beard introduced the term "neurasthenia" to the American medical community. Popularly known as "nerves," neurasthenia (which had no apparent physical cause) could be diagnosed for any number of symptoms, including general malaise, poor appetite, and fatigue. So frequently were these conditions observed in the United States that Beard gave the illness an alternative name: "American Nervousness." Although Beard hadn't specifically defined neurasthenia as a feminine ailment, it was common in women, especially those of the middle and upper-middle classes between the ages of twenty and forty. Intellectual women were believed to be at particularly high risk, which would prove critical for librarianship. Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, library directors reported that nervous disorders were common among the female members of their staffs. It was widely believed that these disorders were brought on by too much mental labor. This hampered the advancement of women within the library profession and helped to justify their low salaries.