Dr. Virginia Apgar invents the Apgar Score

Genetics, Health, Science, United States | | Pam Van Londen | May 12, 2010

MarchofDimes — May 13, 2009 — Virginia Apgar, MD (1909-1974) was an obstetric anesthesiologist best known for the Apgar Score, a clinical system for evaluating the physical condition of newborns at birth. She joined the March of Dimes in 1959 and became Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs. The Apgar Score, developed in 1952, measures an infants pulse, skin color, reflex, muscle tone, and respiration, quickly indicating whether a newborn needs special medical attention to stay alive. In her March of Dimes career, Dr. Apgar campaigned vigorously for birth defects registries, immunization against rubella (German measles), and the prevention of Rh disease; and she led the way to the foundations increasing involvement in the field of perinatal health in the 1960s.