John Whitridge Williams (January 26, 1866 – October 21, 1931) was a pioneering obstetrician at

Johns Hopkins Hospital The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 m ...

. Williams was also an acclaimed author, as he was able to contribute 137 publications regarding his findings.

Early life

John Whitridge Williams was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on January 26, 1866. He received his

A.B. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

from the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

in 1886. He received his M.D. from the

University of Maryland School of Medicine The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medi ...

in 1888. He then studied bacteriology and pathology at universities in Berlin, Vienna, Leipzig, Prague and Paris from 1888 to 1895. He graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

in 1915. He later returned to Heidelberg for a year of research and visited the University of Dublin in 1912.

Career

After serving under Dr. Howard A. Kelly, he was appointed as chief of Obstetrics at the

. In 1889 he returned to Baltimore to be an assistant to Howard Kelly at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. From 1909 to 1923, Williams served as dean of the Johns Hopkins University Medical School. In 1923, Williams resigned to resume research in obstetrics and direct a women's clinic at the hospital. In 1931, Williams was active in efforts to repeal the federal law forbidding sending birth control information through the mail. IN 1913, Williams was president of the American Gynecological Society. In 1913, Williams headed the American Society of the Study and Prevention of Infant Mortality.

Personal life

Williams married Margaretta S. Brown, daughter of General Stewart Brown, in 1892. They had three daughters, Mrs. F Brayton Wood, Mrs. Eveleth W. Bridgeman and Mrs. Emory Niles. He later married Mrs. C. DeW. Thebald Pennington in April 1930. Williams lived at 107 East Chase Street in Baltimore. He died on October 21, 1931, at Johns Hopkins Hospital from complications following an abdominal surgery performed by his colleague J. M. T. Finney. He was buried at

Green Mount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as man ...

in Baltimore.

Legacy

J. Whitridge Williams was the author of the first five editions of the ''Williams Obstetrics'' textbook.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John Whitridge 1866 births 1931 deaths American obstetricians Johns Hopkins Hospital Johns Hopkins Hospital physicians Johns Hopkins University alumni University of Maryland School of Medicine alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni Physicians from Baltimore