CME INDIA Presentation by ⚜ Dr. M. Gowri Sankar, MD, Senior Assistant Professor, Dept. of General Medicine, Government Medical College and ESI Hospital, Coimbatore.
Today’s History Feature:
Dr. Patrick Steptoe
(Jun 9, 1913 – Mar 21, 1988)
💠British Obstetrician
His contributions…
🔸Steptoe received his medical graduation from St. George’s Hospital Medical School, London in 1939.
🔸During the Second World War, he was serving in the British Royal Navy. He was arrested and became a Prisoner of War in 1941 in Italy and was imprisoned until 1943.
🔸After the war, he started studying Obstetrics and then joined the Oldham General Hospital, U.K. where he learned the technique of laparoscopy.
🔸He also established a Family Planning clinic and started a bank for semen donors.
🔸Dr. Steptoe was the first to succeed in the collection of oocyte from preovulatory ovum through his laparoscopic technique. This remarkable achievement was obtained in a district hospital with local backing.
🔸Further, he was the first in Britain to use laparoscopy for routine diagnosis of Gynaecological diseases and first in the world to use laparoscopic technique for sterilization.
🔸He penned his experience and published it in a book – Laparoscopy in Gynaecology – in 1967.
🔸Dr. Robert Edwards, a British Physiologist from University of Cambridge, successfully achieved fertilization of the Human egg in the laboratory during 1968.
🔸Further, Dr. Edwards collaborated with Dr. Steptoe and developed the In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) in 1969 by using his laparoscopic technique.
🔸They made a breakthrough in conception through IVF. This led to the birth of the First Test Tube – Baby Louise Joy Brown – on July 25, 1978.
🔸Subsequently, they established the first IVF program for infertility patients and trained other scientist in their technique.
🔸Dr. Patrick Steptoe is remembered for his significant contribution in human reproduction biology.
A Day to Commemorate…
An Obstetric Surgeon’s Scope with Laparoscope
Dr. Patrick Steptoe 🙏🏼
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