Herbert Thoms (1885-1972) was an obstetrician and gynecologist who was an early advocate for natural childbirth and birth control. Thoms was chairman of the medical advisory council of the Connecticut Planned Parenthood League in 1961, when the league started a legal battle against state laws that restricted access to birth control. [1]
Herbert King Thoms was born in Waterbury, Connecticut on January 6, 1885. [2] His early education was acquired at the Vermont Academy and the Waterbury High School. Thoms came to the Yale School of Medicine directly from high school, as was common at the time, and obtained his M.D. in 1910. [3] He interned at Memorial Hospital in New London, CT and at the Backus Hospital in Norwich. He then served as an assistant resident at the Sloane Hospital for Women in New York. [2] [4] In 1914, he did postgraduate work in obstetrics at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, where he worked under John Whitridge Williams. [2]
Returning to New Haven in 1915, Thoms joined the Yale School of Medicine and served in 1916 as an assistant in the school's pathology department. He became a member of the New Haven County Medical Association in 1915, becoming its president in 1923. [5] In 1920, he was one of the founders of the Beaumont Medical Club at Yale and gave the first paper presented before it. [6] In 1927, Thoms became an associate professor and in 1945 he was named a full professor and chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a position he held until his retirement in 1953. [4] He became professor emeritus at Yale in 1952. [3]
Thoms made many important contributions in his field. He devised a technique to accurately measure the pelvic inlet using x-ray pelvimetry, which previously was limited by the inability to bring the incline of the pelvic brim parallel to the horizontal x-ray plate. [7] His view of the pelvis set the standard of his time. [3] Thoms founded the Yale‐New Haven Infertility Clinic, the first infertility clinic in Connecticut, which was devoted to treating couples who desired but were unable to achieve conception. [1] [8] He was a national advocate of natural childbirth. In conjunction with Edith Jackson and members of the Department of Pediatrics, he launched a prepared-childbirth center at Grace New Haven Hospital and published scientific studies on its success. [9] One study found that 19.3 percent of 156 women who were coached for natural childbirth did not use any drugs at all. [9] Thoms noted that the method provided "increased safety to mother and child" and also led him to understand that husbands had an important role to play in natural childbirth. [10] At Grace New Haven, he sponsored the plan for infant “rooming-in” with the mother, rather than in a nursery, after delivery. [9] [11] Thoms served as a medical advisor to the Connecticut Planned Parenthood League and was at the forefront in the successful legal fight to change Connecticut state laws that prohibited the dissemination of birth control information. [12]
Thoms served as editor of several professional medical journals and was a prolific author of books and articles. He wrote several articles on pelvimetry. [2] [7] He also wrote and published widely on the early history of medicine in Connecticut. [4] He served as an officer of the New Haven Colony Historical Society. [5] As a teacher, he was influential in bringing to the attention of his students the importance of a humanistic approach to medicine. [4]
He produced art in various media, especially dry points. His prints are held in many Connecticut collections. [5]
He won the Lasker Award in 1953 for his contributions in obstetrics, marriage counseling and treatment for infertility. [8]
John Franklin Enders was an American biomedical scientist and Nobel Laureate. Enders has been called "The Father of Modern Vaccines."
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Pelvimetry is the measurement of the female pelvis. It can theoretically identify cephalo-pelvic disproportion, which is when the capacity of the pelvis is inadequate to allow the fetus to negotiate the birth canal. However, clinical evidence indicate that all pregnant women should be allowed a trial of labor regardless of pelvimetry results.
Reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) is a surgical subspecialty of obstetrics and gynecology that trains physicians in reproductive medicine addressing hormonal functioning as it pertains to reproduction as well as the issue of infertility. While most REI specialists primarily focus on the treatment of infertility, reproductive endocrinologists are trained to also test and treat hormonal dysfunctions in females and males outside infertility. Reproductive endocrinologists have specialty training (residency) in obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) before they undergo sub-specialty training (fellowship) in REI.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to obstetrics:
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The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology is a non-profit organization that provides board certification for practicing obstetricians and gynecologists in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1927, incorporated in 1930, and is based in Dallas, Texas. It is one of 24 medical boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties. ABOG's mission is to define the standards, certify obstetricians and gynecologists, and facilitate continuous learning to advance knowledge, practice, and professionalism in women's health.
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Gueh-Djen (Edith) Hsiung was a virologist and professor emeritus of laboratory medicine. She was one of the first women to achieve the rank of professor at the Yale School of Medicine.
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