Churchill History Lecture Series: An Intimate Portrait of Robert Edwards and his IVF Revolution
Thu 30 September 2021
A chance to hear about this new biography, LET THERE BE LIFE: An Intimate Portrait of Robert Edwards and his IVF Revolution, by the physiologist Roger Gosden, in conversation with Madelin Evans, the archivist who worked on the Edwards papers and Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Centre.
This is the story of a miner’s son who brought a revolution to medical science. It is the life of Robert Edwards, an affable Yorkshireman called “Bob” by his friends and colleagues and hailed around the world as the “Father of In Vitro Fertilisation” (IVF). He dismissed the flattering tribute, saying that a team of relay-runners is needed to finish a long race, but his leg of the course demanded the most stamina and dogged determination. It took more than brilliance and Edwards' luck; the winner needed character, charisma, and the gift of a robust constitution.
The history of his career is a list of "firsts"—the first fertilisation of human ova in vitro, first test-tube baby, first embryonic stem cells, and first genetic testing of microscopic embryos. After those achievements he didn’t sit back for accolades and awards but rolled up his sleeves again to apply science for people with the heartache of infertility or family histories of dreaded disease or disability. In opening the first IVF clinic in the world, he became a biomedical entrepreneur, a role added to an overfilled life as a university teacher, globe-trotting lecturer, politician, scientific publisher, hobby farmer, and proud family man. His energy was as legendary as his legacy.
Cost: Free
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Enquiries: Churchill Archives Centre Website Email: archives@chu.cam.ac.uk Telephone: 01223362992
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