Steptoe and Edwards founded Bourn Hall, Cambridge as the world's first IVF clinic.
A plaque commemorating the small cottage hospital in Oldham where Steptoe was a gynaecologist in the 1970s is being unveiled today. It was here that Steptoe, Edwards and Purdy conceived the first ‘test-tube’ baby Louise Brown following 10 years of work.
Steptoe and Edwards went on to establish the world's first IVF clinic at Bourn Hall, Cambridge, which is where Louise's sister Natalie was conceived a few years later.
Louise says: “Sometimes we forget that science is not just about test tubes and chemicals, it is about people and the difference that can be made to people’s lives.
“A few years ago, just before she died, my Mum realised that every blood relative she had in the world – me, my sister Natalie, her grandchildren – had all been due to science and IVF.
“Without the biologists she would have been alone in the world.”
Steptoe’s son Andrew attended the unveiling on 13th March 2015. He remembers coming up to Dr Kershaw’s Hospital in Oldham to visit his father.
“I vividly remember coming with my father to Kershaw’s on my visits from Oxford or London, often late in the evening to observe egg implantation or oocyte removal.
“What struck me was the cheerfulness of the women who underwent these procedures, their utter confidence in Patrick and the scientific team, and the kindness with which they were treated by the nurses and other staff here.
“In vitro fertilization has been an extraordinary achievement from the medical, scientific and societal perspectives. IVF is now a normal process; millions of men, women and children live on our planet as a result of this work, and they are no different from anybody else.”
Steptoe remembered
Also attending was Dr Thomas Mathews, the current Medical Director at Bourn Hall UK, who worked with Steptoe just after the clinic opened and recalls his care and attention to detail.
“Patrick Steptoe was passionate about his patients and treated them extremely well. He believed in doing things properly and I had to watch and learn for many months before he was satisfied that I would perform the procedures correctly.
“He was open and honest with patients about their chances of success. Although the treatment options have increased since those early days, the spirit and ethos of what we do today remains true to what Steptoe always wanted.”
Blue plaque initiative
The Society of Biology unveiled its plaque at what is now known as Dr Kershaw’s Hospice in Oldham on 13 March 2015 as one of ten blue plaques around the UK to celebrate the eminent but sometimes unsung heroes of biology.
The ten plaques are part of The Biology: Changing the World project of the Society of Biology developed in partnership with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
The project also includes an educational resource which uses your location to introduce you to the great biologists who lived and worked nearby and biological discoveries, which were made in the area.
______________________________________________