Dr. Virginia Apgar, pioneer behind Apgar score, being celebrated with Google doodle

Google is celebrating the 109th birth anniversary of American anaesthesiologist Dr Virginia Apgar, who is credited for creating the 'Apgar Score' that determines the health of a newborn baby.

Born in New Jersey in 1909, Apgar always had a keen interest in science. She initially studied zoology, chemistry and physiology before attending Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

She eventually became a leading figure in the fields of anaesthesiology and teratology.

The doctor developed a newborn infant's neonatal prognosis, known as the Apgar Score, which is taken within minutes of birth and has become standard practice in hospitals worldwide.

She was disturbed by the treatment of newborn babies particularly those who were malformed or had troubled breathing.

To her astonishment, infants who were blue or were struggling to breathe were listed as stillborn and left to die.

This prompted the fiercely passionate physician to develop her score, which has a range of zero to ten based on a tot’s condition.

It soon became clear that a baby with a poor rating could be resuscitated, by oxygen and warming, to a good score in around five minutes.

She passed away due to cirrhosis of the liver on August 7, 1974.