Barton Cooke Hirst

Barton Cooke Hirst (July 20, 1861 - September 2, 1935) was an American obstetrician known for founding University of Pennsylvania's Maternity Hospital in 1892. Hirst was the chair Department of Obstetrics for 38 years until it merged with the Department of Gynecology in 1927 and he retired. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1899.

Hirst wrote many books about his field of medicine including titles such as Atlas of Operative Gynaecology, A Textbook of Obstetrics, and Textbook of Diseases of Women. He is also known for being the co-creator of the book Human Monstrosities with photographer George Piersol. Published in four volumes between 1891 and 1893, this book of fetal and adult congenital malformations was the first large work concerning teratology which was illustrated with photography and one of the last to use the term "monster" as a medical descriptor. It was translated into both French and German and remains highly collectible.

Hirst often lectured publicly on OB-GYN topics. While he often decried birth control among educated people as "depriving the country of many geniuses and benefactors," he was also a defender of abortion when used to save the life of the mother, claiming it was supported by the Bible.

Early life Hirst was born to William Lucas Hirst and Lydia Barton (Cooke) Hirst. He studied Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Europe for two years before returning to work at the University of Pennsylvania.