In late December, 1943, Anna Freed of Pittsburgh went into labor with her eighth child. She called a taxi to take her to the hospital, but by the time the taxi arrived, she was too far along to be driven anywhere.
So taxi driver George W. Lapp — who had served three years in the Army Medical Corps — went ahead and delivered the baby himself.
He sterilized some kitchen equipment to use as instruments. Awkwardly but effectively, he performed the duties of a doctor and slapped breath into the baby. When the doctor arrived he said he couldn’t have done any better himself.
Lapp then drove Anna and the 9-pound, 4-ounce baby boy — named George in his honor — to the hospital.
Sources:
- “Baby Named for Taxi Driver.” St. Petersburg Times 29 Dec. 1943: 3.
- “Cabbie Doubles as As Midwife for Birth in Home.” Pittsburgh Press 28 Dec. 1943: 5.
Image: Adapted from Cinema Shooting by Alex Proimos under CC BY 2.0.
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