Described as a leader in the field of anesthesiology and hailed for developing the Apgar score system, a test that determines 60 seconds after birth whether a baby needs help to sustain life, Virginia Apgar would have been 109 on June 7.
In her honour, Google is changing its logo in 15 countries to a doodle, or illustration, of her and the Apgar score.
But in her lifetime, the doctor was not always appreciated for her achievements. This is her story:
A potential doctor
Apgar was born in New Jersey. She was the youngest of three children. Her father was an insurance executive, but also an inventor and astronomer.
Before she was born, her eldest brother died from tuberculosis, and the other one suffered from chronical diseases.
This inheritance motivated her to study zoology, chemistry and physiology before attending Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and obtaining a medical degree in 1933.
However, she was soon discouraged by Dr Allen Whipple, the chairman of surgery at Columbia Medical Center, from pursuing her career as a surgeon.
Era of female doctor shortage
According to a publication on The Time, there were only 7,000 women doctors in the United States before she was born, but the number dropped even further around the time she was born.
Many of the schools that offered accepted medical education did not admit women at all. Women who did manage to attain the medical degree were often discouraged.
She was no exception and she was instead encouraged to practice anaesthesiology. Dr Whipple felt advancements were needed in that area, and she seemed to have the "energy and ability."
She eventually rose and became director of Columbia University's department of anaesthesia, and in 1949 she became the first woman to become a full-time professor at Columbia University.
She became a leading figure in the fields of anaesthesiology and teratology. As attending anesthesiologist at Presbyterian Hospital, she assisted in the delivery of close to 20,000 babies.
