Presenting the First Test-Tube Baby

Fiona Kisby Littleton has Masters' degrees and a Ph.D. in Education, History and Musicology from King's College, University College London Institute of Education and Royal Holloway College in the University of London. She was a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Royal Holloway College and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Initially producing publications on Tudor England, her research interests and publication activity have widened considerably over the years and have most recently focused on the history and contents of curricula and textbooks in British schools, fertility education and the history of IVF. Susan Bewley is Emeritus Professor (honorary) of Obstetrics and Women's Health at King's College London. She was the first woman subspecialist in Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the UK. Her particular research interests are severe maternal morbidity and violence against women. She chaired the Ethics Committee of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and ran Expert Working Groups on Ethics in O&G and Reproductive Ageing. James Owen Drife is Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Leeds and was the Medical Director of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths. He has been vice-president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and was a columnist for the BMJ.

• 1. Introduction: presenting the first test-tube baby Fiona Kisby Littleton, Susan Bewley and James Owen Drife; 2. From Oldham and Cambridge to the rest of the world: the contexts and contents of the lecture, 1978–80 Fiona Kisby Littleton; 3. The lecture, 1979: pregnancies following implantation of human embryos grown in culture Fiona Kisby Littleton and Susan Bewley; 4. The professional reminiscence, 2019: retired fellows look back Fiona Kisby Littleton, Susan Bewley and James Owen Drife; 5. The local reminiscence: an Oldham journalist remembers Janice Barker; 6. The legacy: 2019 and beyond Peter Braude and Martin Johnson.

'As the mother of one of the world's first IVF babies, the depth of information in this brilliant, engaging book is thrilling to me. Edwards and Steptoe resiliently persevered, using their intellects and scientific experimentation, to create and hone the pioneering process that resulted in the creation of families world-wide. I live in eternal gratitude to these two men and revere the authors who today bring this 1979 lecture to light.' Ellen Weir Casey, Author of Unstoppable: Forging The Path To Motherhood In The Early Days of IVF, River Grove Press, 2022; Mother of 'Colorado's First Test Tube Baby' in 1983