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Museum of Medical History
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    • Home
    • Visit
    • Explore
      • Lecture Series
      • Exhibits
      • Virtual Tours
      • School Resources
      • Museum Map
      • Articles and Publications
      • Blood Bank Origins
      • Physician Interviews
      • Links of Interest
      • History Day
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • SSVMS

916-452-2671


  • Home
  • Visit
  • Explore
    • Lecture Series
    • Exhibits
    • Virtual Tours
    • School Resources
    • Museum Map
    • Articles and Publications
    • Blood Bank Origins
    • Physician Interviews
    • Links of Interest
    • History Day
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • SSVMS

In Memory of Irma West, MD

Irma West, MD, 1917-2017

Irma was born December 31, 1917 in Hespeler (now Cambridge), Ontario, Canada, she died in Sacramento, California, on July 2, 2017. Dr. West traveled to Salem, Oregon where she obtained a BA degree from Willamette University. She moved to Moffett Field, California, accepting a position as a computer for military aircraft research at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (now NASA). 


Dr. West graduated in 1947 from the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel) in Philadelphia, taking internship and residency training at St. Joseph's Hospital in San Francisco and obtaining her license to practice in California in 1948. She received a Master's Degree in Public Health at U.C. School of Public Health in Berkeley and accepted a position with the State Department of Public Health. She worked primarily in occupational medicine and toxicology including research and investigation into the health effects of pesticides on agricultural workers. Dr. West authored over 30 scientific papers, contributed to seven books, and was a member of a number of medical organizations, including The American and California Medical Associations. 


Upon retirement in 1980, Dr. West was able to devote more time to her family and join community organizations such as the Sacramento County Historical Society. She pursued her hobbies of medical history and writing. She researched Sacramento medical history at the Old City Cemetery where she gave tours and was a charter member of the Old City Cemetery Committee. As a member of the History Committee of the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medical Association she authored many articles on medical history for the Sierra Sacramento Valley Medicine and served as a docent for the Society's Museum of Medical History. She received community service awards from the City and County of Sacramento for her work with the Old City Cemetery Committee and from the Sacramento County Historical Committee for historical tours and publications. 

Articles by Dr. West Freatured in SSV Medicine Magazine

Hist. Comm. Visits Old City Cemetery - Aug 1986 (pdf)Download
John Morse MD - Feb 1989 (pdf)Download
Early medical organizations of Sacramento – Nov 1992 (pdf)Download
Lydia: the saga of patent medicine – Mar 1995 (pdf)Download
Beginnings of SEDMS – Mar 1998 (pdf)Download
Plagues of the Gold Rush - Jul/Aug 2001 (pdf)Download
Pioneer Physicians - Mar/Apr 2004 (pdf)Download
The Society's Founders - Mar/Apr 2004 (pdf)Download
Early Medical Women - Mar/Apr 2004 (pdf)Download
William W. Light: An Early Dentist, Chemist, Doctor - Nov/Dec 2004 (pdf)Download
Victorian Heart Disease - Nov/Dec 2005 (pdf)Download
Dr. Thomas M. Logan, a Pioneer of Many Talents - Jul/Aug 2006 (pdf)Download
Tent Treatment and Beyond - Nov/Dec 2006 (pdf)Download
Queen Victoria - Mar/Apr 2007 (pdf)Download
Tuberculosis: Its Long History of Affliction - Jan/Feb 2008 (pdf)Download
California's Ambulance Services During the 1960s - Nov/Dec 2008 (pdf)Download
Etta Lund, MD, Willows Pioneer Country Doctor - Nov/Dec 2010 (pdf)Download
Spitting, Today and Yesterday - May/Jun 2012 (pdf)Download

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