The Study of Plant Life

"The Study of Plant Life" by Marie Carmichael Stopes is a scientific publication written in the early 20th century. This book aims to introduce readers, especially children, to the fascinating world of plants, focusing on their life processes, structural parts, and their roles in the environment. Stopes emphasizes that the study of plant life should not be merely academic but should foster curiosity and understanding of the living nature of plants. The opening of the book establishes its purpose as a guide to understanding plant life, pointing out common misconceptions that plants are not alive due to their silence and stillness. The author highlights the dynamic nature of plants, encouraging readers to observe their functions and activities, such as breathing and growing, which parallel those of animals. She lays the groundwork for subsequent chapters by detailing how plants work and adapt to survive in various conditions, showcasing their resilience and the intricate life processes that deserve deeper exploration. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Marie Charlotte Carmichael Stopes was a British author, palaeobotanist and campaigner for eugenics and women's rights. She made significant contributions to plant paleontology and coal classification, and was the first female academic on the faculty of the University of Manchester. With her second husband, Humphrey Verdon Roe, Stopes founded the first birth control clinic in Britain. Stopes edited the newsletter Birth Control News, which gave explicit practical advice. Her sex manual Married Love (1918) was controversial and influential, and brought the subject of birth control into wide public discourse. Stopes publicly opposed abortion, arguing that the prevention of conception was all that was needed, though her actions in private were at odds with her public pronouncements.