Edgar F. Berman (August 6, 1915 – November 25, 1987) was an American surgeon and author. He is most remembered for his 1970 assertion that women were unable to hold leadership positions due to their "raging hormonal imbalances". He also implanted a plastic esophagus into a person and performed a heart transplant for a dog.

Early life and career

Berman was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. He attended Baltimore City College, the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

and 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 ...

. Berman was in the Marine Corps during World War II, serving in

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

and

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. In 1950, he implanted the first plastic

esophagus The esophagus (American English), oesophagus (British English), or œsophagus (Œ, archaic spelling) (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, see spelling difference) all ; : ((o)e)(œ)sophagi or ((o)e)(œ)sophaguses), c ...

into a person. In 1957, he performed a heart transplant for a dog. Berman was the president of Medico, an organization involved with health care in developing countries, from 1959 to 1965. From 1964 to 1969 he was a confidant of, and personal physician to, Vice President

Hubert Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American politician who served from 1965 to 1969 as the 38th vice president of the United States. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Minnesota from 19 ...

, advising him on medical issues. In 1970, Berman controversially asserted that women were unable to hold leadership positions due to their "raging hormonal imbalances". Following the comment he was forced to resign from his post on the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

's Committee on National Priorities. His assertion was refuted by leaders of the women's movement, including endocrinologist Estelle Ramey. Berman self-identified as a male chauvinist and wrote the 1982 book ''The Compleat Chauvinist: A Survival Guide for the Bedeviled Male''. He considered the book to be revenge against "militant feminists", whom he referred to as "Steingreers" and "Steinzugs". In an interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' that year, he said "The women all hate me, and the men all think I'm their leader."

Later life

Berman served on the board of directors of the Public Welfare Foundation for 20 years. Berman retired to a 50-acre horse farm in

Lutherville, Maryland Lutherville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 6,504. Prior to 2010 the area was part of the Lutherv ...

. He wrote five books and columns for ''

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''. Following a heart attack, he died on November 25, 1987, at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore.

Awards and honors

One of Johns Hopkins' first endowed professorships, the Edgar Berman Professorship in International Health, is named after Berman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berman, Edgar 1915 births 1987 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II Writers from Baltimore University of Maryland, College Park alumni People from Lutherville, Maryland American military doctors 20th-century American surgeons