Obstetrician

Dr. Oscar Hartman, a retired Baltimore-area obstetrician and longtime Lutherville resident, died Oct. 28 of cancer at Heartland, a rehabilitation facility in Sarasota, Fla. He was 93. Dr. Hartman, the son of a baker and homemaker, was born and raised in Baltimore. He was a 1931 graduate of City College and earned a bachelor's degree in 1935 from the University of Maryland, College Park. After graduating in 1939 from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he completed his internship and residency at Franklin Square Hospital, where he was chief of obstetrics and gynecology for two years.

Dr. Elizabeth A. Karns, a retired Baltimore obstetrician and gynecologist, died Friday of a stroke at her home in Salem, N.J. She was 93. Elizabeth Acton, the daughter of an insurance executive and a homemaker, was born and raised in Salem, N.J. After graduating in 1935 from Centenary Collegiate Institute in Hackettstown, N.J., she earned her bachelor's from American University in Washington in 1939. Dr. Karns earned her medical degree in 1943 from the University of Maryland Medical School, where she completed an internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology.

A state medical panel upheld a suspension order Wednesday against an obstetrician who ran a clinic in which an 18-year-old woman was badly injured during an abortion. Neither the doctor — George Shepard Jr., 88, who oversaw the five Maryland clinics of American Women's Services — nor his attorney appeared at the hearing in Baltimore of the Maryland Board of Physicians that was to hear evidence against him in the case of the woman, who suffered a perforated uterus and other injuries during an Aug. 13 procedure in Elkton.

Dr. Jerome Pleet, a retired obstetrician and gynecologist who delivered 15,000 babies, died of cancer June 7 at Milford Manor Nursing Home. He was 86 and lived in Northwest Baltimore. Born in Washington, D.C., he grew up in Baltimore on Whittier Avenue and was a 1939 City College graduate. He earned an education degree at what is now Towson University. Drafted into the Army during World War II, he was assigned to the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he earned his degree.

Edward Akira Sawada, an obstetrician and gynecologist who was a noted cervical cancer expert, died Nov. 28 at Manor Care Dulaney nursing home in Towson of injuries suffered two years ago in an automobile accident. The longtime Towson resident was 89. Dr. Sawada, the son of Japanese parents, was born and raised on Guam. He had settled on pursuing a medical career as a youngster, and after graduating from Guam Institute High School, left the island in 1941 to attend Georgetown University and its medical school.

E dward Akira Sawada, an obstetrician and gynecologist who was a noted cervical cancer expert, died Nov. 28 at Manor Care Dulaney nursing home in Towson of injuries suffered two years ago in an automobile accident. The longtime Towson resident was 89. Dr. Sawada, the son of Japanese parents, was born and raised on Guam. He had settled on pursuing a medical career as a youngster, and after graduating from Guam Institute High School, left the island in 1941 to attend Georgetown University and its medical school.

Sylvan Frieman, a retired Baltimore obstetrician and gynecologist who was also a clinical assistant professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School and worked with the homeless, died of congestive heart failure Aug. 22 at his Owings Mills home. He was 81. Born in Baltimore, the son of a credit manager and a stenographer, Dr. Frieman was raised on Ridgewood Avenue in Northwest Baltimore. After graduating from City College in 1945, he earned a bachelor's degree in 1949 from the University of Maryland, College Park.