We ‘had a writ for murder against us’ - what it was like to work at the world’s first IVF clinic

When the world’s first in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic - Bourn Hall in Cambridgeshire - was set up in 1980, Professor Simon Fishel was part of the original team carrying out the revolutionary new technique in the face of major opposition.

He was told he was doing “the work of the devil” and that his future would be ruined. Him and a colleague were even served a writ for murder by campaigners after human embryos growing in a dish didn’t survive.⠀⠀⠀

Fast-forward a few decades and Simon is now regarded as the professor responsible for more than 30,000 babies! If he and his team had given in to the critics - there would be 14 million parents without children today, he told me.

If you’re interested in IVF, fertility and why Simon believes infertility is increasing, have a watch of this healthHackers episode in full here.