Patrick Christopher Steptoe

Infobox Medical Person
name = Patrick Christopher Steptoe

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box_width =
image_width = 150px
caption = Patrick Christopher Steptoe
birth_date = June 9,1913
birth_place = Oxford, England
death_date = death date and age|1988|03|21|1913|06|09
death_place =
profession = Physician
specialism = obstetrics and gynaecology
research_field = in vitro fertilization
known_for = Development of "in vitro" fertilization
years_active = 1939-1988
education = King's College London
St George's Hospital Medical School
work_institutions = Oldham General Hospital
Bourn Hall Clinic
prizes =
relations =

Patrick Christopher Steptoe (June 9,1913, Oxford, England - March 21,1988, Canterbury) was a British obstetrician and gynaecologist and a pioneer of fertility treatment. Steptoe was responsible with biologist and physiologist Robert Edwards for developing "in vitro" fertilization. The birth of the first test-tube baby, Louise Joy Brown, occurred on July 25, 1978.

Education

Steptoe was educated at King's College London and graduated from St George's Hospital Medical School, London in 1939.

Laparoscopic Pioneer

After the Second World War, he studied obstetrics and, in 1951 he started to work at the Oldham General Hospital. From Mr. Raoul Palmer he learned the technique of laparoscopy and promoted its usefulness. In 1967 he published a book on "Laparoscopy in Gynaecology". Subsequently, Robert Edwards, a physiologist from the University of Cambridge, contacted him and got him interested to collaborate in the development of "in vitro fertilization".

Work with Edwards

Steptoe became the Director of the Centre for Human Reproduction, Oldham in 1969. Using laparoscopy, he collected the ova from volunteering infertile women who saw his place as their last hope to achieve a pregnancy. Edwards and his assistant Jean Purdy provided the laboratory expertise. During this time they had to endure criticism and hostility to their work. Finally, in 1978, the birth of Louise Brown changed everything. Although he encountered further criticism, other clinics were able to follow the lead and patients responded. To accommodate the increased patient number and train specialists, he and Edwards founded the Bourn Hall Clinic, Cambridgeshire in 1980 of which he was a Medical Director until his death.

References

*Citation
id = PMID:9876723
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9876723
last=Litynski
first=G S
publication-date=
year=
title=Patrick C. Steptoe: laparoscopy, sterilization, the test-tube baby, and mass media.
volume=2
issue=1
periodical=JSLS : Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons / Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
pages=99-101
*Citation
id = PMID:11619339
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11619339
last=Edwards
first=R G
publication-date=1996
year=1996
title=Patrick Christopher Steptoe, C.B.E.: 9 June 1913 - 22 March 1988.
volume=42
issue=
periodical=Biographical memoirs of fellows of the Royal Society. Royal Society (Great Britain)
pages=435-52
*Citation
id = PMID:11645394
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11645394
publication-date=1979 Feb 19
year=1979
title=Dr. Steptoe's full report--at last.
volume=20
issue=4
periodical=Medical world news
pages=10-11+
*Citation
id = PMID:11648723
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11648723
last=Weintraub
first=Richard M
publication-date=1978 Jul 26
year=1978
title=First test-tube baby born in British hospital.
volume=
issue=
periodical=Washington post (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
pages=A1+
*Citation
id = PMID:11662500
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11662500
last=Gwynne
first=Peter
last2=Collings
first2=Anthony
last3=Gastel
first3=Barbara
publication-date=1978 Jul 24
year=1978
title=The test-tube baby.
volume=92
issue=4
periodical=Newsweek
pages=76
*Citation
id = PMID:11648647
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11648647
last=Nossiter
first=Bernard
publication-date=1978 Jul 27
year=1978
title=Test tube baby 'well': doctors predict more successes.
volume=
issue=
periodical=Washington post (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
pages=A1+
*Citation
id = PMID:11648651
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11648651
publication-date=1978 Jul 27
year=1978
title=By-passing a block to conception.
volume=
issue=
periodical=Times (London, England : 1788)
pages=15
*Citation
id = PMID:11662645
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11662645
last=Hathout
first=H
publication-date=1978 Sep
year=1978
title=Test tube babies!
volume=12
issue=3
periodical=The Journal of the Kuwait Medical Association
pages=135-6
*Citation
id = PMID:12088000
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12088000
last=Shearer
first=Lloyd
publication-date=1978 Oct 8
year=1978
title=Next: twin tube babies?
volume=
issue=
periodical=Parade (New York, N.Y.)
pages=23
*Citation
id = PMID:11648949
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11648949
last=Cohn
first=Victor
publication-date=1978 Oct 12
year=1978
title=Test-tube baby pioneer urges easing of curbs.
volume=
issue=
periodical=Washington post (Washington, D.C. : 1974)
pages=A26
*Citation
id = PMID:11662640
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11662640
last=Hand
first=G Othell
publication-date=1978 Dec 1
year=1978
title=The manipulation of existence: conceiving the inconceivable.
volume=45
issue=4
periodical=Vital speeches of the day
pages=98-102
*Citation
id = PMID:10315865
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10315865
publication-date=1979 Feb 23
year=1979
title=In vitro fertilization questions remain: no ethics problem, Dr. Steptoe says.
volume=22
issue=8
periodical=American medical news
pages=1, 15-6
*Citation
id = PMID:11665072
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11665072
publication-date=1979 Feb 19
year=1979
title=That baby again.
volume=113
issue=8
periodical=Time
pages=82
*Citation
id = PMID:8817236
url= http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8817236
last=Edwards
first=R G
publication-date=1996
year=1996
title=The history of assisted human conception with especial reference to endocrinology.
volume=104
issue=3
periodical=Exp. Clin. Endocrinol. Diabetes
pages=183-204