Medical Pioneer. Though she held records as the oldest and longest practicing physician in America she shall be remembered for her co-development of a vaccine against pertussis (whooping cough). Raised in eastern Georgia as part of a large family she desired a medical career from early childhood and following her graduation from Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia, attended the Medical College of Georgia from which she received her M.D. in 1928. Dr. Denmark took her residency in pediatrics at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital and set up a practice in her Atlanta home following the birth of her only child in 1930; her experience in helping to manage a 1932 whooping cough epidemic led to the development of an effective vaccine and earned her the 1935 Fisher Prize. The doctor had strong ideas about child rearing, placing responsibility for development and behavior on parents while also opposing smoking, cow's milk, and refined sugars. She continued her practice even after the death of her husband, finally retiring in 2001 at age 103. She was the author of "Every Child Should Have a Chance" (1971) and "Dr. Denmark Said It!: Advice for Mothers from America's Most Experienced Pediatrician" (2002). She was the recipient of multiple alumni awards and honorary degrees. Dr. Denmark lived her final years in her daughter's home and died of far advanced age. When asked about the secret of her long life she said that she had never worked a day in her life because she loved what she did and amplified by stating "You keep on doing what you do best as long as you can."
Medical Pioneer. Though she held records as the oldest and longest practicing physician in America she shall be remembered for her co-development of a vaccine against pertussis (whooping cough). Raised in eastern Georgia as part of a large family she desired a medical career from early childhood and following her graduation from Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia, attended the Medical College of Georgia from which she received her M.D. in 1928. Dr. Denmark took her residency in pediatrics at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital and set up a practice in her Atlanta home following the birth of her only child in 1930; her experience in helping to manage a 1932 whooping cough epidemic led to the development of an effective vaccine and earned her the 1935 Fisher Prize. The doctor had strong ideas about child rearing, placing responsibility for development and behavior on parents while also opposing smoking, cow's milk, and refined sugars. She continued her practice even after the death of her husband, finally retiring in 2001 at age 103. She was the author of "Every Child Should Have a Chance" (1971) and "Dr. Denmark Said It!: Advice for Mothers from America's Most Experienced Pediatrician" (2002). She was the recipient of multiple alumni awards and honorary degrees. Dr. Denmark lived her final years in her daughter's home and died of far advanced age. When asked about the secret of her long life she said that she had never worked a day in her life because she loved what she did and amplified by stating "You keep on doing what you do best as long as you can."
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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