AceNewsDesk – In this Vanity Fair story, Keziah Weir recounts how the Vatican played a role in the science of in vitro fertilisation
Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: May.02: 2024: Keziah Weir | Vanity Fair | April 29, 2024 | 6,313 words: TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2Â
A 1957 encounter between two men—Bruno Lunenfeld, an endocrinologist, and Don Giulio Pacelli, an Italian prince and one of Pope Pius XII’s nephews—marked the start of the journey toward the first successful IVF pregnancy. The miracle substance that made it possible? Urine. Specifically 30,000 liters of urine from 100 postmenopausal nuns. Weir intertwines history, science, religion, and politics in this fascinating piece, and enriches the narrative with details and memories from Lunenfeld’s incredible life.
A year later, Lunenfeld sat with Giulio Pacelli and Piero Donini, musing over the design needs of the special toilets they planned to install in the convent. They settled on a teardrop-shaped container akin to a small trash can, lined with a plastic bag. Throughout 1958, elderly nuns hiked up their habits, crouched over the containers, and voided their bladders. Serono employees collected the bags of urine and transported them to the Rome laboratory at Via Casilina, where technicians emptied them into metal tanks for processing. (During a 1930s Netherlands-based urine collection program, the people tasked with picking up donations were called pissmannekes, or “small piss men.”)
By 1959, Serono had harvested enough hMG to begin trials on infertile women. Lunenfeld, back in Israel, where he was working as a visiting scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, wanted to treat his own hypothalamic amenorrheic patients with the drug, hoping to induce ovulation. The head of the hospital instructed Lunenfeld to inject himself with the substance. If he didn’t sustain any major side effects, they’d go forward with treatment.
At Sterling Publishing & Media Service Agency, we value transparency and accountability. We want to inform you that we are not responsible for any external content, links, or posts. Nonetheless, we are dedicated to providing exceptional services and sincerely appreciate your support. Thank you.
You must be logged in to post a comment.