The world's first known test tube baby was delivered by caesarean section today in Oldham, England. Lesley Brown, the mother of the baby, was unable to conceive naturally due to a blockage in her fallopian tubes, so the child was conceived in a laboratory and then planted in her uterus to develop normally.

"The birth brought hope to thousands of women unable to have children because of irreparable defects in their physical makeup. But it was expected to rekindle a fierce philosophical and ethical debate on the morality of conception outside the mother's body," reported The Daily Intelligencer on July 26, 1978.

NOTE: Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards developed the process for the historic birth after 12 years of experimentation and research. While other scientists claimed to have developed test tube children, Steptoe and Edwards were the first to prove it.

Links to the Past
Patricia Brown: The Test Tube Baby is 'Normal'
The Daily Intelligencer, July 26, 1978

Test Tube Girl Sets Milestone
The Newport Daily News, July 26, 1978

Years of Work Went into Birth Technique
The Chronicle Telegram, July 26, 1978

Test-Tube Baby: Was it a Wise Step?
Winnipeg Free Press, July 26, 1978

Test-Tube Pregnancies May Not Be That Rare
Bucks County Courier Times, July 24, 1978

I’ll be on my honeymoon until August 4, 2008. I’ll be back writing for the 5th!

Links to the Past
Idlers’ Rest
The Gleaner, February 7, 2007