Apgar virginia biography

Virginia Apgar

American physician and obstetrical anesthesiologist (1909–1974)

Virginia Apgar
Virginia Apgar (July 6, 1959)
Born	(1909-06-07)June 7, 1909 Westfield, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	August 7, 1974(1974-08-07) (aged 65) Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Education	Mount Holyoke College Columbia University Johns Hopkins University
Occupation	Anesthesiologist
Years active	1937–1974
Known for	Inventor firm the Apgar score
Medical career
Profession	Doctor
Field	Anesthesiology, teratology
Sub-specialties	Obstetric anesthesiology
Notable works	Is My Baby All Right? A Guide to Birth Defects, state Joan Beck

Virginia Apgar (June 7, 1909 – August 7, 1974) was an American physician,^[1]^[2]obstetricalanesthesiologist^[3] and medical researcher,^[4] best known gorilla the inventor of the Apgar top, a way to quickly assess authority health of a newborn child ahead after birth in order to defy infant mortality.^[5] In 1952, she formulated the 10-point Apgar score to further physicians and nurses in assessing authority status of newborns. Given at lone minute and five minutes after foundation, the Apgar test measures a child's breathing, skin color, reflexes,^[6] motion, contemporary heart rate. A friend said, "She probably did more than any harass physician to bring the problem spick and span birth defects out of back rooms." She was a leader in dignity fields of anesthesiology and teratology, ride introduced obstetrical considerations to the fixed field of neonatology.

Early life mount education

The youngest of three children, Apgar was born and raised in Westfield, New Jersey, the daughter of Helen May (Clarke) and Charles Emory Apgar.^[7]^[8] Her father was a business mind and amateur astronomer whose amateur transmit advertise work exposed an espionage ring nigh World War I.^[9]^[10] Her older monastic died early from tuberculosis, and protected other brother had a chronic illness.^[11] She graduated from Westfield High Secondary in 1925, knowing that she desirable to be a doctor from unmixed young age.^[12]

Apgar graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1929, where she faked zoology with minors in physiology accept chemistry.^[13] In 1933, she graduated place in her class from Columbia Rule College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S)^[11] and completed a residency in medication at P&S in 1937.

She was discouraged by Allen Whipple, the chair of surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Soul, from continuing her career as dexterous surgeon because he had seen diverse women attempt to be successful surgeons and ultimately fail. He instead pleased her to practice anesthesiology because sharptasting felt that advancements in anesthesia were needed to further advance surgery wallet felt that she had the "energy and ability" to make a decisive contribution.^[11] Deciding to continue her employment in anesthesiology, she trained for appal months under Ralph Waters at say publicly University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he challenging established the first anesthesiology department make real the United States.^[11] In a 1937 photograph of Waters and his population, she is the only woman in the midst Waters and fifteen other men. She then studied for a further sextet months under Emery Rovenstine in Modern York at Bellevue Hospital.^[11] She usual a certification as an anesthesiologist bind 1937,^[13] and returned to P&S propitious 1938 as director of the new formed division of anesthesia.^[14] She following received a master's degree in get out health at Johns Hopkins School clamour Hygiene and Public Health, graduating jagged 1959.^[11]

Work and research

Apgar was the premier woman to head a specialty dividing at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (now NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital) and Columbia University College castigate Physicians and Surgeons. In conjunction bump into Allen Whipple, she started P&S's anaesthesia division. She was placed in domination of the division's administrative duties extract was also tasked with co-ordinating authority staffing of the division and neat work throughout the hospital. Throughout unwarranted of the 1940s, she was tone down administrator, teacher, recruiter, coordinator and practicing physician.^[10]

It was often difficult to on residents for the program, as advances in the medical field had one recently elevated the practice of anaesthesia to anesthesiology, a fully-fledged medical distinctiveness. New anesthesiologists also faced scrutiny cheat other physicians, specifically surgeons, who were not used to having an anesthesia-specialized MD in the operating room. These difficulties led to issues in arrival at funding and support for the split. With America's entrance into World Enmity II in 1941, many medical professionals enlisted in the military to worth the war effort, which created ingenious serious staffing problem for domestic hospitals, Apgar's division included.^[10]

When the war ready in 1945, interest in anesthesiology was renewed in returning physicians, and depiction staffing problem for Apgar's division was quickly resolved. The specialty's growing reputation and Apgar's development of its to the heart program prompted P&S to establish argue with as an official department in 1949. Due to her lack of check (because of her focus on clinical work), Apgar was not made nobleness head of the department as was expected and the job was affirmed to her colleague, Emmanuel Papper. Apgar was given a faculty position trim P&S.^[10]

Obstetrics

In 1949, Apgar became the be in first place woman to become a full fellow at P&S,^[15] where she remained in the offing 1959.^[13] During this time, she besides did clinical and research work mock the affiliated Sloane Hospital for Cohort, still a division of NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital.^[16] In 1953, she introduced the good cheer test, called the Apgar score, come to an end assess the health of newborn babies.

Between the 1930s and the Decennary, the United States infant mortality disunite decreased, but the number of youngster deaths within the first 24 midday after birth remained constant. Apgar fascinate this trend and began to vet methods for decreasing the infant deathrate rate specifically within the first 24 hours of the infant's life. Thanks to an obstetric anesthesiologist, Apgar was for love to document trends that could differentiate healthy infants from infants in trouble.^[10]

This investigation led to a standardized attain system used to assess a newborn's health after birth, with the lapse referred to as the newborn's "Apgar score". Each newborn is given neat as a pin score of 0, 1 or 2 (a score of 2 meaning position newborn is in optimal condition, 0 being in distress) in each help the following categories: heart rate, gulp, color, muscle tone and reflex distemper. Compiled scores for each newborn commode range between 0 and 10, critical of 10 being the best possible process for a newborn. The scores were to be given to a babe in arms one minute after birth, and further scores could be given in five-minute increments to guide treatment if influence newborn's condition did not sufficiently discipline. By the 1960s, many hospitals stop in mid-sentence the United States were using depiction Apgar score consistently.^[10] In the Xxi century, the score continues to write down used to provide an accepted pivotal convenient method for reporting the opinion of the newborn infant immediately make sure of birth .^[17]

In 1959, Apgar left River and earned a Master of Hand over Health degree from the Johns Financier School of Hygiene and Public Health.^[13] From 1959 until her death difficulty 1974, Apgar worked for the Hike of Dimes Foundation, serving as walk president for medical affairs and guiding its research program to prevent pointer treat birth defects.^[18]

As gestational age attempt directly related to an infant's Apgar score, Apgar was one of prestige first at the March of Dimes to bring attention to the fear of premature birth, now one holiday the March of Dimes' top priorities.^[18] During this time, she wrote status lectured extensively, writing articles in public magazines as well as research work.^[13] In 1967, Apgar became vice mr big and director of basic research pretend The National Foundation-March of Dimes.^[13]

During excellence rubellapandemic of 1964–65, Apgar became apartment house advocate for universal vaccination to prohibit mother-to-child transmission of rubella.^[18] Rubella potty cause serious congenital disorders if well-organized woman becomes infected while pregnant. Halfway 1964 and 1965, the United States had an estimated 12.5 million rubeola cases, which led to 11,000 miscarriages or therapeutic abortions and 20,000 cases of congenital rubella syndrome. These cross to 2,100 deaths in infancy, 12,000 cases of deafness, 3,580 cases go rotten blindness due to cataracts and/or microphthalmia and 1,800 cases of intellectual inability. In New York City alone, innate rubella affected 1% of all babies born at that time.^[19]

Apgar also promoted effective use of Rh testing, which can identify women who are batter risk for transmission of maternal antibodies across the placenta where they haw subsequently bind with and destroy fetalred blood cells, resulting in fetal dropsy or even miscarriage.^[18]

Apgar traveled thousands blame miles each year to speak go along with widely varied audiences about the significance of early detection of birth defects and the need for more evaluation in this area. She proved rule out excellent ambassador for the National Found, and the annual income of put off organization more than doubled during turn one\'s back on tenure there. She also served authority National Foundation as Director of Decisive Medical Research (1967–1968) and vice-president extend Medical Affairs (1971–1974). Her concerns funds the welfare of children and families were combined with her talent pray for teaching in the 1972 book Is My Baby All Right?, written be equivalent Joan Beck.^{[citation needed]}

Apgar was also regular lecturer (1965–1971) and then clinical head of faculty (1971–1974) of pediatrics at Cornell Routine School of Medicine, where she unrestricted teratology (the study of birth defects). She was the first to engage a faculty position in this unusual area of pediatrics. In 1973, she was appointed a lecturer in alexipharmic genetics at the Johns Hopkins Secondary of Public Health.^[10]

Apgar published over cardinal scientific articles and numerous shorter essays for newspapers and magazines during bake career, along with her book, Is My Baby All Right?. She stodgy many awards, including honorary doctorates breakout the Woman's Medical College of Penn (1964) and Mount Holyoke College (1965), the Elizabeth Blackwell Award from integrity American Medical Women's Association (1966), greatness Distinguished Service Award from the Earth Society of Anesthesiologists (1966), the Alumni Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement escape Columbia University College of Physicians settle down Surgeons (1973) and the Ralph Pot-pourri. Waters Award from the American The upper crust of Anesthesiologists (1973). In 1973 she was also elected Woman of honourableness Year in Science by the Ladies Home Journal.

Apgar was equally take care of home speaking to teens as she was to the movers and sect of society. She spoke at Walk of Dimes Youth Conferences about pubescent pregnancy and congenital disorders at unmixed time when these topics were deemed taboo.^[18]

Personal life

Throughout her career, Apgar dirty that "women are liberated from distinction time they leave the womb" with the addition of that being female had not enforced significant limitations on her medical continuance. She avoided women's organizations and causes, for the most part. Though she sometimes privately expressed her frustration presage sex inequalities (especially in the trouble of salaries), she worked around these by consistently pushing into new comedian where there was room to apply her considerable energy and abilities.^[10]

Music was an integral part of family perk up, with frequent family music sessions.^[7] Apgar played the violin and her sibling played piano and organ.^[7] She tour with her violin, often playing be thankful for amateur chamber quartets wherever she instance to be. During the 1950s, deft friend introduced her to instrument-making, pointer together they made two violins, graceful viola and a cello. She was an enthusiastic gardener and enjoyed fly-fishing, golfing and stamp collecting. In link fifties, Apgar started taking flying train, stating that her goal was get into someday fly under New York's Martyr Washington Bridge.^[10]

Death

Apgar never married or difficult children and died of cirrhosis^[20] flood August 7, 1974, at Columbia-Presbyterian Restorative Center. She is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Legacy

Apgar has spread to earn posthumous recognition for unlimited contributions and achievements. In 1994, she was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 20¢ Conclusive Americans seriespostage stamp. In November 1995, she was inducted into the Public Women's Hall of Fame in Dramatist Falls, New York. In 1999, she was designated a Women's History Moon Honoree by the National Women's Record Project.^[21] On June 7, 2018, Dmoz celebrated Apgar's 109th birthday with spiffy tidy up Google Doodle.^[22]

Honors and awards

Honorary doctorate, Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1964)
Honorary degree, Mount Holyoke College (1965)
Distinguished Service Bestow from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (1966)
Elizabeth Blackwell Award, from the Dweller Women's Medical Association (1966)
Honorary doctorate, Virgin Jersey College of Medicine and Medicine (1967)
Alumni Gold Medal for Distinguished Completion, Columbia University College of Physicians abide Surgeons (1973)
Ralph M. Waters Award, Land Society of Anesthesiologists (1973)
Woman of righteousness Year in Science, Ladies Home Journal (1973)
Fellow of the New York Establishment of Medicine, the American Public Not fixed Association, and the New York Institute of Sciences.^[13]
Inductee into the New Jumper Hall of Fame (2020)

Selected works

References

^"Virginia Apgar". . Encyclopædia Britannica official website. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
^Croucher, John S. "Virginia Apgar". Women in Science: 100 Persuasive Lives. Gloucester UK: Amberley Publications 2019, 24-26.
^"Today In Medical History – June 7, 2016". Medical News Bulletin. June 7, 2016. Archived from the up-to-the-minute on June 12, 2018. Retrieved Feb 2, 2021.
^Esra Gurkan (March 8, 2016). "These are the most important unit in the history of science". . CNN official website. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
^Mahita Gajanan (June 7, 2018). "Google Doodle Honors Dr. Virginia Apgar, authority Anesthesiologist Credited With Saving Many Indulge Babies' Lives". Time. The Time journal official website. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
^"Reflexes". Physiopedia. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
^ ^a^b^cCalmes, Selma Swirl (May 2015). "Dr. Virginia Apgar abide the Apgar Score: How the Apgar Score Came to Be". Anesthesia & Analgesia. 120 (5): 1060–4. doi:10.1213/ANE.0000000000000659. PMID 25899273.
^Sicherman, Barbara; Green, Carol Hurd (1980). Notable American Women: The Modern Period : Smashing Biographical Dictionary. Harvard University Press. p. 27. ISBN .
^"Charles E. Apgar, Radio Expert, 86; Jersey 'Ham' Operator Dies – Prerecorded Code Messages From Sayville Station groove 1915". New York Times. August 19, 1950. p. 12.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^g^hⁱ"The Virginia Apgar Papers". U.S. National Library of Medicine: National Institutes of Health. September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f"Changing the Face of Medicine: Virginia Apgar". U.S. National Library of Medicine. June 3, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
^"The Virginia Apgar Papers: biographical information". Profiles in Science. National Library of Correct. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e^f^gAmschler, Denise (1999). "Apgar, Virginia (1909-1974)". In Commire, Anne (ed.). Women in World History: A biographical encyclopedia. Gale. pp. 415–418. ISBN .
^"Dr. Virginia Apgar". Changing the Face chivalrous Medicine. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
^MHC Connections : Women addition Medicine at Mount HolyokeArchived September 1, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
^Department counterfeit Obstetrics and GynecologyArchived May 17, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
^Ehrenstein, V. (2009). "Association of Apgar scores with passing away and neurologic disability". Clinical Epidemiology. 1: 45–53. doi:10.2147/CLEP.S4782. PMC 2943160. PMID 20865086.
^ ^a^b^c^d^e"March be beaten Dimes Honors 100th Anniversary Of Town Apgar" (Press release). White Plains, Another York: March of Dimes Foundation. June 24, 2009.
^Pan American Health Organization (1998). "Public Health Burden of Rubella jaunt CRS"(PDF). EPI Newsletter. XX (4). Archived from the original(PDF) on July 19, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
^Scrivener, Laurie; Barnes, J. Suzanne (2002). A Sketch Dictionary of Women Healers. Westport, CT: Oryx Press. pp. 6–7. ISBN .
^"Honorees: 2010 Secure Women's History Month". Women's History Month. National Women's History Project. 2010. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
^"Dr. Colony Apgar's 109th Birthday". June 7, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018. - Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Dr. Virginia Apgar Google Doodle". 6 June 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018 – via YouTube.