Ralph Hayward Pomeroy (January 12, 1867 in New York City – August 22, 1925) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

gynecologist Gynaecology or gynecology (see American and British English spelling differences) is the area of medicine concerned with conditions affecting the female reproductive system. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, which focuses on pre ...

who became posthumously famous for the female sterilization procedure that he had developed and now carries his name as the Pomeroy

tubal ligation Tubal ligation (commonly known as having one's "tubes tied") is a surgical procedure for female sterilization in which the fallopian tubes are permanently blocked, clipped or removed. This prevents the fertilization of eggs by sperm and thus the ...

. Pomeroy went to

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and graduated from the

Long Island College Hospital University Hospital of Brooklyn at Long Island College Hospital (or LICH) was a 506-bed teaching hospital located in the Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. The hospital was founded in 1858 as Long Island Coll ...

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. He became an associate professor at the same institution in 1912, and was one of the founders of the Williamsburg Hospital, Brooklyn. He was elected President of the Kings County Medical Society in 1916. Pomeroy developed his technique of tubal ligation but never reported or published it. His associates, Bishop and Nelms, presented the procedure and results four years after his death at a medical meeting in 1929 and published it the following year. Its simplicity and effectiveness made the Pomeroy procedure a common choice for female sterilization that is still being used today. Later, Irving operation was proposed to reduce the failure rate of Pomeroy procedure for female sterilization. The “Pomeroy” procedure is performed on each fallopian tube where a knuckle is created, tied with

catgut Catgut (also known as gut) is a type of cord that is prepared from the natural fiber found in the walls of animal intestines. Catgut makers usually use sheep or goat intestines, but occasionally use the intestines of cattle, hogs, horses, mules, ...

, and the tube at the apex of the knuckle is severed.

References

* Bishop E, Nelms WF. A simple method of tubal sterilization. NY State J Med 1930; 30:214-6. * Speert H. Obstetric and Gynecologic Milestones. Macmillan Co, New York, 1958. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pomeroy, Ralph 1867 births 1925 deaths SUNY Downstate Medical Center alumni Wesleyan University alumni American gynecologists