Editing Virginia Apgar (section)

{{Short description|American physician and obstetrical anesthesiologist (1909–1974)}}

{{Infobox medical person
| name = Virginia Apgar
| image = Virginia-Apgar-July-6-1959.jpg
| image_size=
| alt = Photograph of Dr. Virginia Apgar
| caption = Virginia Apgar (July 6, 1959)
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name above -->
| birth_date = {{birth date|1909|6|7}}
| birth_place = [[Westfield, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1974|8|7|1909|6|7|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Manhattan]], New York, U.S.
| education =[[Mount Holyoke College]]<br>[[Columbia University]]<br>[[Johns Hopkins University]]
| occupation = [[Anesthesiologist]]
| years_active = 1937–1974
| known_for = Inventor of the [[Apgar score]]
| relations =
| website =
| profession = [[Physician|Doctor]]
| field = [[Anesthesiology]], [[teratology]]
| work_institutions =
| specialism = [[Obstetric anesthesiology]]
| notable_works = ''Is My Baby All Right? A Guide to Birth Defects'', with Joan Beck
| prizes =
| child =
| module2 =
| signature =
}}
'''Virginia Apgar''' (June 7, 1909{{spaced ndash}}August 7, 1974) was an American [[physician]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Virginia-Apgar|title=Virginia Apgar|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica official website|website=britannica.com|access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref><ref>Croucher, John S. "Virginia Apgar". ''Women in Science: 100 Inspirational Lives''. Gloucester UK: Amberley Publications 2019, 24-26.</ref> [[obstetrics|obstetrical]] [[anesthesiologist]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/today-medical-history-june-7-2016/|title=Today In Medical History – June 7, 2016|date=June 7, 2016|work=Medical News Bulletin |access-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145003/https://www.medicalnewsbulletin.com/today-medical-history-june-7-2016/|archive-date= June 12, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> and medical researcher,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/03/07/tech/gallery/women-in-science/index.html|publisher=CNN official website|title=These are the most important women in the history of science|author=Esra Gurkan|website=CNN.com|date=March 8, 2016|access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref> best known as the inventor of the [[Apgar score]], a way to quickly assess the health of a newborn child immediately after birth in order to combat [[infant mortality]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5304372/google-doodle-virginia-apgar/ |title=Google Doodle Honors Dr. Virginia Apgar, the Anesthesiologist Credited With Saving Many Newborn Babies' Lives|publisher=The Time magazine official website|author=Mahita Gajanan|date=June 7, 2018|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=February 2, 2021}}</ref> In 1952, she developed the 10-point Apgar score to assist physicians and nurses in assessing the status of newborns. Given at one minute and five minutes after birth, the Apgar test measures a child's breathing, skin color, reflexes,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reflexes |url=https://www.physio-pedia.com/Reflexes |access-date=2022-04-20 |website=Physiopedia |language=en}}</ref> motion, and heart rate. A friend said, "She probably did more than any other physician to bring the problem of birth defects out of back rooms." She was a leader in the fields of [[anesthesiology]] and [[teratology]], and introduced obstetrical considerations to the established field of [[neonatology]].