Leila Denmark facts for kids

Leila Alice Denmark (born Daughtry; February 1, 1898 – April 1, 2012) was an American pediatrician. A pediatrician is a doctor who specializes in treating children. Dr. Denmark worked in Atlanta, Georgia. She was the oldest practicing pediatrician in the world. She retired in May 2001 when she was 103 years old. She had been a doctor for 73 years!

Dr. Denmark lived to be 114 years and 60 days old. People who live past 110 years are called supercentenarians. She helped create the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine. This vaccine helps protect people from a serious illness. Dr. Denmark was one of the few supercentenarians famous for her work, not just for living a very long time. She started treating children in 1928. By the time she retired, she was treating the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her first patients.

Early Life and Education

Leila Alice Daughtry was born in Portal, Georgia. She was the third of 12 children. Her parents were Elerbee and Alice Cornelia Daughtry. Her uncle, James Alexander Daugherty, was a Congressman from Missouri. Her younger brother, Clyde Daughtry, filmed the only known color video of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Leila went to Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia. There, she trained to be a teacher. She also studied chemistry and physics at Mercer University in Macon. She decided to go to medical school because her fiancé, John Eustace Denmark, was sent to Java, in the Dutch East Indies. Wives were not allowed to go with their husbands to that post.

In 1928, Daughtry was the only woman in her graduating class at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. She was also only the third woman ever to get a medical degree from that school.

John Eustace Denmark returned from his trip overseas. They got married on June 11, 1928, soon after she received her medical diploma. They had one child, Mary, who was born on November 19, 1930. Leila Denmark was a practicing Baptist.

Medical Career and Research

Dr. Denmark started her medical career with a residency at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. A residency is a special training period for new doctors. She then moved to the Virginia-Highland area with her husband. Dr. Denmark was the first doctor to work at Henrietta Egleston Hospital. This was a new pediatric hospital that opened on the Emory University campus. She also opened her own private practice, seeing patients in a clinic at her home.

Dr. Denmark spent a lot of her time helping people for free. By 1935, she worked at the Presbyterian Church Baby Clinic in Atlanta. She also continued her work at Grady Hospital and her private practice. From the 1930s to 1944, she did important research on whooping cough. This disease was often deadly for children back then.

Dr. Denmark is known for helping to create the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine. She worked with Eli Lilly and Company and Emory University on this project. For her important work, she received the Fisher Prize in 1935.

Dr. Denmark shared her ideas about raising children in her book, Every Child Should Have a Chance (1971). She was one of the first doctors to say that adults should not smoke cigarettes around children. She also believed that drinking cow's milk could be harmful. She suggested that children and adults should eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juices. She also said people should drink only water. On March 9, 2000, the Georgia General Assembly honored Dr. Denmark for her contributions.

Later Life and Legacy

Dr. Denmark wrote a second book in 2002 with Madia Bowman. It was called Dr. Denmark Said It!: Advice for Mothers from America's Most Experienced Pediatrician. She finally retired in 2002. Her eyesight was becoming too weak for tasks like examining children's throats.

Dr. Denmark lived by herself in her Cumming, Georgia home until she was 106 years old. After that, she moved to Athens, Georgia to live with her only child, Mary Hutcherson. On February 1, 2008, Dr. Denmark celebrated her 110th birthday. This made her a supercentenarian. She passed away in 2012 at the age of 114 years and 2 months. She was one of the few supercentenarians who was famous for her achievements, not just for her long life. A new high school in Forsyth County, Georgia, was built between 2016 and 2018. It is named after Dr. Denmark.

Awards and Honors

• 1935: The Fisher Award for her research on whooping cough and the vaccine.
• 1953: Named Atlanta's Woman of the Year.
• 1970: Received a Distinguished Service Citation from Tift College.
• 1980: Distinguished Alumni Award from Tift College.
• 1989: Shining Light Award from Atlanta Gas Light Company.
• 1998: Lifetime Achievement Award from Atlanta Business Chronicle.
• 2000: The Georgia General Assembly honored her with a resolution.
• 2000: Honorary doctorate degree from Emory University.
• 2016: A new high school in Forsyth County, Georgia, was named in her memory.
• 2019: Named to the Georgia Women of Achievement hall of fame.

See also

In Spanish: Leila Denmark para niños

• List of centenarians (medical professionals)
• 100 oldest American people ever