viii, 96 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This thesis argues that women were instrumental in creating the period of transformation that took place in American obstetrics and gynecology during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Historians have emphasized the ways that male physicians victimized female patients, but in the academic, professional, and public worlds, women directly influenced these specialties. As intellectuals and educators, women challenged existing ideas about their presence in academia and shaped evolving medical school curricula. As specialists, they debated the ethics of operative gynecology and participated in the medical construction of the female body. Finally, as activists, they demanded that obstetricians and gynecologists adopt treatments they believed were desirable. In doing so, they took part in larger debates about gender difference, gender equality, and the relationship between women's physical bodies and social roles. / Committee in Charge: Dr. Ellen Herman, Chair; Dr. James Mohr; Dr. Peggy Pascoe