Gertie Florentine Marx (1912-2004) was an obstetric anesthesiologist, "internationally known as 'the mother of obstetric anaesthesia'".Gerard M. Bassell
In Memoriam: Gertie F. Marx, MD (1912–2004)
''International Journal of Obstetric Anesthesia'', Vol. 13 (2004), pp.141–143 Marx pioneered the use of

epidural analgesia Epidural administration (from Ancient Greek ἐπί, , upon" + ''dura mater'') is a method of medication administration in which a medicine is injected into the epidural space around the spinal cord. The epidural route is used by physicians and ...

during childbirth, and was the founding editor of the quarterly ''Obstetric Anesthesia Digest''.Luca Prono
Gertie F. Marx, American physician
britannica.com. Accessed 4 August 2019.

Life

Gertie Marx was born in

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

on February 13, 1912 and attended medical school at the University of Frankfurt. A Jew, she emigrated to

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

in 1936 and completed her medical studies at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It ...

, graduating in 1937. Later that year she travelled on to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In 1939 she secured an internship at Beth Israel Hospital, and in 1940 became the first resident in a new anesthesiology residency program at the hospital. In 1943 she joined the attending staff at Beth Israel Medical Center. In 1955 she moved to the

Albert Einstein College of Medicine Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a research-intensive medical school located in the Morris Park neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. Founded in 1953, Einstein operates as an independent degree-granting institution as part of t ...

, and remained there until retirement as Emeritus Professor in 1995.As well as the books listed below, Marx authored over 150 articles and many textbook chapters.

References

1912 births 2004 deaths American anesthesiologists American obstetricians German expatriates in Switzerland Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Goethe University Frankfurt alumni University of Bern alumni Albert Einstein College of Medicine faculty {{US-med-bio-stub