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'''Virginia Apgar''' (June 7, 1909{{spaced ndash}}August 7, 1974) was an American [[obstetrics|obstetrical]] [[anesthesiologist|anesthetist]], best known as the inventor of the [[Apgar score]], a way to quickly assess the health of a newborn child immediately after birth. She was a leader in the fields of [[anesthesiology]] and [[teratology]], and introduced obstetrical considerations to the established field of [[neonatology]].
[http://snip.ly/8yud7e '''Virginia Apgar''' (June 7, 1909{{spaced ndash}}August 7, 1974) was an American obstetrical anesthetist, best known as the inventor of the Apgar score, a way to quickly assess the health of a newborn child immediately after birth. She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and introduced obstetrical considerations to the established field of neonatology.]


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==

Revision as of 12:42, 7 June 2018

Virginia Apgar
Virginia Apgar (July 6, 1959)
Born(1909-06-07)June 7, 1909
Westfield, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedAugust 7, 1974(1974-08-07) (aged 65)
Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Cause of deathCirrhosis
NationalityAmerican
OccupationAnesthesiologist
Years active1937–1974
Known forInventor of the Apgar score
Medical career
ProfessionDoctor
Fieldanesthesiology, teratology
Sub-specialtiesObstetric anesthesiology
ResearchApgar score
Notable worksIs My Baby All Right? A Guide to Birth Defects, with Joan Beck

Virginia Apgar (June 7, 1909 – August 7, 1974) was an American obstetrical anesthetist, best known as the inventor of the Apgar score, a way to quickly assess the health of a newborn child immediately after birth. She was a leader in the fields of anesthesiology and teratology, and introduced obstetrical considerations to the established field of neonatology.

Early life and education

The youngest of three children, Apgar was born and raised in Westfield, New Jersey to a musical family.[1] Her father was an insurance executive, and also an amateur inventor and astronomer.[2] Her older brother died early from tuberculosis, and her other brother had a chronic illness.[3] She graduated from Westfield High School in 1925, knowing that she wanted to be a doctor.[4]

Apgar graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1929, where she studied zoology with minors in physiology and chemistry.[5] In 1933, she graduated fourth in her class from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S)[3] and completed a residency in surgery at P&S in 1937.

She was discouraged by Dr. Allen Whipple, the chairman of surgery at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, from continuing her career as a surgeon because he had seen many women attempt to be successful surgeons and ultimately fail. He instead encouraged her to practice anesthesiology because he felt that advancements in anesthesia were needed to further advance surgery and felt that she had the "energy and ability" to make a significant contribution.[3] Deciding to continue her career in anesthesiology, she trained for six months under Dr. Ralph Waters at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he had established the first anesthesiology department in the United States.[3] She then studied for a further six months under Dr. Ernest Rovenstine in New York at Bellevue Hospital.[3] She received a certification as an anesthesiologist in 1937,[5] and returned to P&S in 1938 as director of the newly formed division of anesthesia.[6] She later received a masters degree in public health at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, graduating in 1959.[3]

Work and research

As the first woman to head a specialty division at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Apgar faced many obstacles. In conjunction with Dr. Allen Whipple, she started P&S's anesthesia division. Apgar was placed in charge of the division's administrative duties and was also tasked with coordinating the staffing of the division and its work throughout the hospital. Throughout much of the 1940s, she was an administrator, teacher, recruiter, coordinator and practising physician.[2]

Virginia Apgar examining a newborn baby in 1966

It was often difficult to find residents for the program, as anesthesiology had only recently been converted from a nursing specialty to a physician specialty. New anesthesiologists also faced scrutiny from other physicians, specifically surgeons, who were not used to having an anesthesia-specialized MD in the operating room. These difficulties led to issues in gaining funding and support for the division. With America's entrance into World War II in 1941, many medical professionals enlisted in the military to help the war effort, which created a serious staffing problem for domestic hospitals, Apgar's division included.

When the war ended in 1945, interest in anesthesiology was renewed in returning physicians, and the staffing problem for Apgar's division was quickly resolved. The specialty's growing popularity and Apgar's development of its residency program prompted P&S to establish it as an official department in 1949. Due to her lack of research, Apgar was not made head of the department as was expected and the job was given to her colleague, Dr. Emmanuel Papper. Apgar was given a faculty position at P&S.[2]

Obstetrics

In 1949, Apgar became the first woman to become a full professor at P&S,[7] where she remained until 1959.[5] During this time, she also did clinical and research work at the affiliated Sloane Hospital for Women, part of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.[8] In 1953, she introduced the first test, called the Apgar score, to assess the health of newborn babies.

Between the 1930s and the 1950s, the United States infant mortality rate decreased, but the number of infant deaths within the first 24 hours after birth remained constant. Apgar noticed this trend and began to investigate methods for decreasing the infant mortality rate specifically within the first 24 hours of the infant's life. As an obstetric anesthesiologist, Apgar was able to document trends that could distinguish healthy infants from infants in trouble.

This research led to what is known as the Apgar score, which is still used widely today as a technique to assess a newborn's health. Each newborn is given a score of 0, 1, or 2 (a score of 2 meaning the newborn is in optimal condition, 0 being in distress) in each of the following categories: heart rate, respiration, color, muscle tone, and reflex irritability. Compiled scores for each newborn can range between 0 and 10, with 10 being the best possible condition for a newborn. The scores were to be given to a newborn one minute after birth, and additional scores could be given in five-minute increments to guide treatment if the newborn's condition did not sufficiently improve. By the 1960s, many hospitals were using the Apgar score consistently and the Apgar score is still being used in hospitals throughout the United States.[2]

In 1959, Apgar left Columbia and earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.[5] From 1959 until her death in 1974, Apgar worked for the March of Dimes Foundation, serving as vice president for Medical Affairs and directing its research program to prevent and treat birth defects.[9]

As gestational age is directly related to an infant’s Apgar score, Apgar was one of the first at the March of Dimes to bring attention to the problem of premature birth, now one of the March of Dimes top priorities.[9] During this time, she wrote and lectured extensively, authoring articles in popular magazines as well as research work.[5] In 1967, Apgar became vice president and director of basic research at The National Foundation-March of Dimes.[5]

During the rubella pandemic of 1964-65, Apgar became an outspoken advocate for universal vaccination to prevent mother-to-child transmission of rubella.[9] Rubella can cause serious congenital disorders if a woman becomes infected while pregnant. Between 1964-65, the United States had an estimated 12.5 million rubella cases, which led to 11,000 miscarriages or therapeutic abortions and 20,000 cases of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). Of these, 2,100 died in infancy, 12,000 were deaf, 3,580 suffered blindness due to cataracts and/or microphthalmia, and 1,800 were mentally retarded. In New York City alone, CRS affected 1% of all births at that time.[10] Apgar also promoted effective use of Rh testing, which can identify women who are at risk for transmission of maternal antibodies across the placenta where they may subsequently bind with and destroy fetal red blood cells, resulting in fetal hydrops or even miscarriage.[9]

Apgar traveled thousands of miles each year to speak to widely varied audiences about the importance of early detection of birth defects and the need for more research in this area. She proved an excellent ambassador for the National Foundation, and the annual income of that organization more than doubled during her tenure there. She also served the National Foundation as Director of Basic Medical Research (1967-1968) and Vice-President for Medical Affairs (1971-1974). Her concerns for the welfare of children and families were combined with her talent for teaching in the 1972 book, Is My Baby All Right?, written with Joan Beck.

Apgar was also a lecturer (1965-1971) and then clinical professor (1971-1974) of paediatrics at Cornell University School of Medicine, where she taught teratology (the study of birth defects). She was the first to hold a faculty position in this new area of pediatrics. In 1973, she was appointed lecturer in medical genetics at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.[11]

Apgar published over sixty scientific articles and numerous shorter essays for newspapers and magazines during her career, along with her book, Is My Baby All Right? She received many awards, including honorary doctorates from the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania (1964) and Mount Holyoke College (1965), the Elizabeth Blackwell Award from the American Medical Women's Association (1966), the Distinguished Service Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (1966), the Alumni Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (1973), and the Ralph M. Waters Award from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (1973). In 1973 she was also elected Woman of the Year in Science by the Ladies Home Journal.

Personal life

Throughout her career, Apgar maintained, with her characteristic optimism, that "women are liberated from the time they leave the womb," and that being female had not imposed significant limitations on her medical career. She avoided women's organizations and causes, for the most part. Though she sometimes privately expressed her frustration with gender inequalities (especially in the matter of salaries), she worked around these by consistently pushing into new fields where there was room to exercise her considerable energy and abilities.[11] Apgar was equally at home speaking to teens as she was to the movers and shakers of society. She spoke at March of Dimes Youth Conferences about teen pregnancy and congenital disorders at a time when these topics were considered taboo.[9]

Apgar never married, and died of cirrhosis of the liver[12] on August 7, 1974, at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. She is buried at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield.

Music was an integral part of family life, with frequent family music sessions.[1] Apgar played the violin and her brother played piano and organ.[1] She traveled with her violin, often playing in amateur chamber quartets wherever she happened to be. During the 1950s a friend introduced her to instrument-making, and together they made two violins, a viola, and a cello. She was an enthusiastic gardener, and enjoyed fly-fishing, golfing, and stamp collecting. In her fifties, Apgar started taking flying lessons, stating that her goal was to someday fly under New York's George Washington Bridge.[11]

Legacy

Apgar has continued to earn posthumous recognition for her contributions and achievements. In 1994, she was honored by the United States Postal Service with a 20¢ Great Americans series postage stamp. In November 1995 she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. In 1999, she was designated a Women's History Month Honoree by the National Women's History Project.[13] In 2018, Google celebrated Apgar's 109th birthday with a Google Doodle.[14][15]

Honors and awards

Selected works

  • Apgar, Virginia (1973). Is my baby all right? A guide to birth defects. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-671-78707-1.
  • Apgar, Virginia (1953). "A proposal for a new method of evaluation of the newborn infant". Current Researches in Anesthesia & Analgesia. 32 (4): 260–267. doi:10.1213/00000539-195301000-00041. PMID 13083014.

References

  1. ^ a b c Calmes, Selma H (May 2015). "Dr. Virginia Apgar and the Apgar Score: How the Apgar Score Came to Be". Anesthesia & Analgesia. 120 (5).
  2. ^ a b c d "The Virginia Apgar Papers". U.S. National Library of Medicine: National Institutes of Health. September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  3. ^ 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. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  4. ^ "The Virginia Apgar Papers: biographical information". Profiles in Science. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Amschler, Denise (1999). "Apgar, Virginia (1909-1974)". In Commire, Anne (ed.). Women in World History: A biographical encyclopedia. Gale. pp. 415–418.
  6. ^ "Dr. Virginia Apgar". Changing the Face of Medicine. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  7. ^ Women in Medicine Exhibit Resources Archived 2006-09-01 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ a b c d e Dezen, Todd P.; Lynch, Elizabeth (2009-06-24). "March of Dimes Honors 100th Anniversary Of Virginia Apgar". White Plains, New York: March of Dimes Foundation. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. ^ Pan American Health Organization (1998). "Public Health Burden of Rubella and CRS" (PDF). EPI Newsletter. XX (4). Retrieved 2011-05-15.
  11. ^ a b c "The Virginia Apgar Papers: Biographical Information". profiles.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
  12. ^ Scrivener, Laurie; Barnes, J. Suzanne (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Women Healers. Westport, CT: Oryx Press. pp. 6–7. ISBN 1-57356-219-X.
  13. ^ "Honorees: 2010 National Women's History Month". Women's History Month. National Women's History Project. 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
  14. ^ June 7, 2018. "Dr. Virginia Apgar's 109th Birthday". Google.com. Retrieved 2018-06-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "Dr. Virginia Apgar Google Doodle". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-06-07.

Further reading

  • Pearce JM (2005). "Virginia Apgar (1909-1974): neurological evaluation of the newborn infant". European Neurology. 54 (3): 132–4. doi:10.1159/000089084. PMID 16244485.
  • Goodwin JW (March 2002). "A personal recollection of Virginia Apgar". Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada. 24 (3): 248–9. PMID 12585247.
  • Goldman R, Blickstein I (February 2001). "Dr. Virginia Apgar--1909-1974" [Dr. Virginia Apgar--1909-1974]. Harefuah (in Hebrew). 140 (2): 177–8. PMID 11242930.
  • Mazana Casanova JS (11 November 2000). "Virginia Apgar y su test posnatal medio siglo después" [Virginia Apgar and her postnatal test half a century later]. Anales Españoles De Pediatría (in Spanish). 53 (5): 469. doi:10.1016/S1695-4033(00)78630-9.
  • Baskett TF (November 2000). "Virginia Apgar and the newborn Apgar score". Resuscitation. 47 (3): 215–7. doi:10.1016/S0300-9572(00)00340-3. PMID 11114450.
  • Jay V (1999). "On a historical note: Dr. Virginia apgar". Pediatric and Developmental Pathology. 2 (3): 292–4. doi:10.1007/s100249900126. PMID 10191354.
  • Proffitt, Pamela (1999). Notable women scientists. Detroit, Mich.: Gale Group. ISBN 0787639001.
  • Morishima HO (November 1996). "Virginia Apgar (1909-1974)". The Journal of Pediatrics. 129 (5): 768–70. doi:10.1016/S0022-3476(96)70170-1. PMID 8917248.
  • Shampo MA, Kyle RA (July 1995). "Virginia Apgar--the Apgar score". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 70 (7): 680. doi:10.4065/70.7.680. PMID 7791393.
  • Butterfield LJ (September 1994). "Virginia Apgar, MD, MPhH". Neonatal Network. 13 (6): 81–3. PMID 7854290.
  • Butterfield LJ (1994). "Virginia Apgar, MD, MPhH (1909-1974)". Journal of Perinatology. 14 (4): 310. PMID 7965228.
  • Ignatius J (1993). "Virginia Apgar 1909-1974" [Virginia Apgar 1909-1974]. Duodecim (in Finnish). 109 (1): 54–5. PMID 8013307.
  • Appelgren L (April 1991). "The woman behind the Apgar score. Virginia Apgar. The woman behind the scoring system for quality control of the newborn" [The woman behind the Apgar score. Virginia Apgar. The woman behind the scoring system for quality control of the newborn]. Läkartidningen (in Swedish). 88 (14): 1304–6. PMID 2016983.
  • Wilhelmson-Lindell B (October 1990). "Virginia Apgar Award to Petter Karlberg. After 45 years of pioneering commission as a pediatrician, the research on body-soul-environment is tempting" [Virginia Apgar Award to Petter Karlberg. After 45 years of pioneering commission as a pediatrician, the research on body-soul-environment is tempting]. Läkartidningen (in Swedish). 87 (40): 3198–200. PMID 2232990.
  • Kovács J (September 1989). "In commemoration of Virginia Apgar" [In commemoration of Virginia Apgar]. Orvosi Hetilap (in Hungarian). 130 (38): 2049–50. PMID 2677904.
  • Calmes SH (1984). "Virginia Apgar: a woman physician's career in a developing specialty". Journal of the American Medical Women's Association. 39 (6): 184–8. PMID 6392395.
  • Schoenberg DG, Schoenberg BS (January 1977). "Eponym: yes, Virginia, there is an Apgar score". Southern Medical Journal. 70 (1): 101. doi:10.1097/00007611-197701000-00046. PMID 320667.
  • Frey R, Bendixen H (January 1977). "In memoriam Virginia Apgar 1909-1974" [In memoriam Virginia Apgar 1909-1974]. Der Anaesthesist (in German). 26 (1): 45. PMID 319701.
  • James LS (1976). "Dedication to Virginia Apgar, MD". Birth Defects Original Article Series. 12 (5): xx–xxi. PMID 782603.
  • James LS (January 1975). "Fond memories of Virginia Apgar". Pediatrics. 55 (1): 1–4. PMID 1089236.
  • James LW (December 1974). "Memories of Virginia Apgar". Teratology. 10 (3): 213–5. doi:10.1002/tera.1420100302. PMID 4617325.
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