Barton Cooke Hirst (July 20, 1861 - September 2, 1935) was an American obstetrician known for founding University of Pennsylvania's Maternity Hospital in 1892.

[7] Published in four volumes between 1891 and 1893, this book of fetal and adult congenital malformations was the first large work concerning teratology which was illustrated with photography and one of the last to use the term "monster" as a medical descriptor.

While he often decried birth control among educated people as "depriving the country of many geniuses and benefactors," he was also a defender of abortion when used to save the life of the mother, claiming it was supported by the Bible.

[2] He attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate and medical school work, graduating in 1882 and 1883 respectively.

[11] He studied Obstetrics and Gynaecology in Europe for two years before returning to work at the University of Pennsylvania.