Patrick Steptoe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick Steptoe
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| Born |
Patrick Christopher Steptoe
9 June 1913 Oxford, England
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| Died | 21 March 1988 (aged 74) Canterbury, England
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| Known for | In vitro fertilisation |
| Spouse(s) |
Sheena Kennedy
(m. 1943) |
| Children | Andrew Steptoe and one daughter |
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Patrick Christopher Steptoe was an English doctor. He was an obstetrician (a doctor who helps with childbirth) and a gynaecologist (a doctor who treats women's health issues). He was a leader in helping people with fertility problems.
Steptoe worked with biologist Robert Edwards and nurse Jean Purdy. Together, they created a new way to help people have babies. This method is called in vitro fertilisation, or IVF. The first baby born using IVF was Louise Joy Brown. She was born on July 25, 1978. Robert Edwards later won a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this important work. Steptoe and Purdy could not receive the award because Nobel Prizes are not given to people after they have died.
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Early Life and Education
Patrick Steptoe was born in Oxford, England, on June 9, 1913. He went to school at The Grammar School in Witney. Later, he studied at King's College London. He finished his medical training at St George's Hospital Medical School in London in 1939.
During Second World War, he served in the Royal Navy from 1939 to 1946. He reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After the war, he continued his medical studies. He became a chief assistant at St George's Hospital and then a senior doctor at the Whittington Hospital.
Pioneering Laparoscopy
In 1951, Steptoe began working at the Oldham & District General Hospital. Here, he learned a special medical technique called laparoscopy. This method uses a thin, lighted tube with a camera to look inside the body without making a large cut. He learned it from another doctor, Raoul Palmer.
Steptoe believed laparoscopy could be very useful in women's health. He wrote a book about it in 1967 called Laparoscopy in Gynaecology. His work with this technique helped him connect with Robert Edwards. Edwards was a scientist who wanted to work on in vitro fertilisation.
Developing IVF with Robert Edwards
In 1969, Steptoe became the Director of the Centre for Human Reproduction in Oldham. He used laparoscopy to collect eggs from women who wanted to have children but could not. These women saw his clinic as their last hope.
Robert Edwards and Jean Purdy were experts in the laboratory. They helped fertilize the eggs outside the body. This work was very new and faced a lot of criticism. Many people did not understand or approve of what they were doing.
But in 1978, everything changed with the birth of Louise Brown. She was the first "test-tube baby." This amazing success showed the world that IVF was possible. Other clinics soon began to use their methods.
To help more patients and train other doctors, Steptoe, Purdy, and Edwards opened the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridgeshire in 1980. Steptoe was the Medical Director there until he passed away.
Awards and Recognition
Patrick Steptoe received many awards for his important work. In 1979, he got the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
In 1987, he was made a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was just one week after the 1,000th baby conceived with his help was born.
He was also chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society in March 1987. This is a very high honor for scientists. His nomination recognized him for being the first in Britain to use laparoscopy to diagnose women's health problems. It also praised his success in collecting eggs for IVF. His work helped doctors understand how human ovulation, fertilization, and pregnancy work.
Today, Steptoe is remembered with special plaques. One is at the Bourn Hall Clinic, placed by Louise Brown and Alastair MacDonald, the first IVF boy. Another plaque is at the Royal Oldham Hospital. Patrick Steptoe is buried in Bourn, England.
Images for kids
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Patrick Steptoe
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Bourn Hall Clinic
See also
In Spanish: Patrick Steptoe para niños
