Virginia H. Apgar

Virginia H. Apgar was an American anesthesiologist best known for developing the Apgar Score in 1952, a quick method to assess the health of newborns immediately after birth. The score evaluates five key signs: Appearance (skin color), Pulse (heart rate), Grimace (reflex response), Activity (muscle tone), and Respiration (breathing effort). Each is scored from 0 to 2, with a total out of 10 guiding immediate medical decisions. Her work significantly improved neonatal care by enabling rapid, standardized assessments to determine if a newborn needed urgent medical attention.