John Whitridge Williams

John Whitridge Williams ( born January 26, 1866 in Baltimore, † 21 October 1931 in Baltimore ) was an American gynecologist and obstetrician. He is regarded as the founder of scientific obstetrics in the United States.

Life and work

Williams was born in 1866 in Baltimore (Maryland ) in a medical family. He studied medicine at Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated in 1886 with a Bachelor of Arts. He received his degree as M.D. He graduated from the University of Maryland, 1888. Afterwards he learned Bacteriology and Pathology at the Universities of Berlin and Vienna. In 1889 he returned to Baltimore, where he worked as an assistant to Howard Atwood Kelly at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Renewed study in Europe served to improve his knowledge in obstetrics. In 1892 he returned to the Johns Hopkins Hospital and in 1893 Associate of Obstetrics. In 1896 he was appointed Associate Professor and in 1899 as the successor of Professor Kelly. Between 1911 and 1923, Williams was dean of the university. Williams died on 1931 at the age of 65 from complications of abdominal surgery.

John Whitridge Williams published in 1903 his book " Obstetrics " ( obstetrics), which is still continued today as Williams' Obstetrics and 2009, appeared in the 23rd edition.