1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,960 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi, I'm Eves and Welcome to This Day 3 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: in History Class, a show that uncovers a little bit 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: more about history every day. Today is July nineteen. The 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: day was July at p m Luis Joy Brown became 6 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: the first person to be born via in vitro fertilization. 7 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:40,280 Speaker 1: In vitro fertilization, or IVF, is an assisted reproductive technology 8 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: that helps with fertilization, embryo development, and implantation so a 9 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: person can get pregnant. I VF can be used as 10 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: an infertility treatment or to prevent passing on genetic disorders. 11 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 1: The term in vitro means the process takes place in 12 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: a test tube, culture dish, or somewhere else outside of 13 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,280 Speaker 1: the body, as opposed to in vivo, which means a 14 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: process takes place inside the body of a living organism. 15 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: While the actual procedure of IVF was established at the 16 00:01:11,080 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: end of the twentieth century, the science behind it dates 17 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,440 Speaker 1: back to the late nineteenth century. In eighteen seventy eight, 18 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,679 Speaker 1: embryologist Samuel Leopold Shank collected ova or egg seals from 19 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: rabbits and guinea pigs when he added sperm or male 20 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: reproductive cells to the ova, he noted that cell division 21 00:01:31,040 --> 00:01:34,920 Speaker 1: could occur outside of a mammal's body. In eighteen ninety, 22 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 1: scientist Walter Heap transferred a fertilized egg from an Angora 23 00:01:39,120 --> 00:01:42,360 Speaker 1: rabbit to a Belgian hair rabbit, which then gave birth 24 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: to Angora rabbits. It was the first successful mammalian embryo transfer, 25 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 1: and in nineteen thirty four, Gregory Pinkus and Ernst Vinzen's 26 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: Endsman introduced sperm to rabbit eggs while they were outside 27 00:01:56,080 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: of the body, implanted the eggs back into the rabbit, 28 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 1: and the rabbit became pregnant. But they had implanted the 29 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: eggs before they had fully matured, and fertilization had actually 30 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: occurred inside the rabbit's body, not in vitro. In nineteen 31 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: fifty nine, scientists mean To a Chong successfully used IVF 32 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: to impregnate a rabbit, but it was the collaboration between 33 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: gynecologist Patrick Steptoe and professor of human reproduction Robert Edwards 34 00:02:27,919 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: that would produce the first human pregnancy via IVF. Deptoe 35 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: and Edwards began working together in nineteen sixty In nineteen 36 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 1: seventy six, they started working with Leslie and John Brown. 37 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: The couple have been trying to have a baby for 38 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 1: years with no success, but in November of nineteen seventy seven, 39 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: Leslie successfully had an embryo and planted into her uterus 40 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: from a petri dish. On July nineteen seventy eight, Luise 41 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,440 Speaker 1: Joy Brown was born to See and John Brown via 42 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: Cissian section at Oldham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England. 43 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: The procedure and the birth of the first so called 44 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: test two baby we're controversial. Religious groups spoke out against 45 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: ivy F as an unnatural form of conception. Articles questioned 46 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,400 Speaker 1: the ethic cality of IVF, and the Browns got hate 47 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: mail as well as letters of congratulations. Questions have arisen 48 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 1: over who owns the embryos and whether scientists should be 49 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: allowed to perform experiments for stem cell research with cryo 50 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: preserved embryos that are not implanted. IVF is also associated 51 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:45,800 Speaker 1: with high rates of multiple births. Still, research into IVF 52 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Speaker 1: continued to be funded. The first private IVF clinic open 53 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:55,480 Speaker 1: in nineteen eighty. Luis's younger sister, Natalie, was also conceived 54 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: by IVF Natalie was the first person born via IVF 55 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: to give birth. Since Louise was born, IVF technology has 56 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 1: improved and millions of babies have been born through IVF. Today, 57 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: it's the most popular assisted reproductive technology. I'm Eves Jeff 58 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: Coote and hopefully you know a little more about history 59 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:21,720 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. We love it if you 60 00:04:21,839 --> 00:04:25,920 Speaker 1: left us a comment on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. At 61 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 1: t d i h C podcast, thanks for showing up. 62 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: We'll meet here again tomorrow. For more podcasts from I 63 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: Heeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 64 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.