The first test most babies are given — and which most pass with good scores — is the Apgar test. It was developed in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar, who wanted a quick, simple way to check how newborns ...

The Apgar test grades infants in five areas, including skin tone. Babies of color score lower, and may be subjected to unnecessary treatment. By Roni Caryn Rabin Shortly after they’re born, infants ...

In medicine, inertia can be a strangely powerful force, but Virginia Apgar never succumbed to it. She brought incredible energy to her work in anesthesia, neonatology, and dysmorphology (the study of ...

Virginia Apgar kept score for America's babies and coveted scores on the violin as well. She was a doctor, musician, instrument maker — and an overall pioneering female physician who overcame the ...