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HT This Day: October 9, 1978 -- Lab baby is healthy, fair
Facts disclosed by the doctors who engineered the birth of the world’s second test-tube baby are “substantially correct” though some points need to be further clarified, according to the father Mr Prabhat Kumar Agarwal.
Facts disclosed by the doctors who engineered the birth of the world’s second test-tube baby are “substantially correct” though some points need to be further clarified, according to the father Mr Prabhat Kumar Agarwal.
“We will do it after the return from Nainital of Dr Subhas Mukherjee, the main architect of the birth of the baby born through an “embryo transfer technique”, the 36-year-old father said on the corridor of a city nursing home today.
Married in 1963, Mr Agarwal said he took treatment under Dr Mukherjee, a noted physiologist, a few years back for becoming a father. He had agreed to be a “subject of experiment” as desired by the doctor.
Mr Agarwal said “True, my 31-year-old wife Bela has both sides of the fallopian tube blockaded” and the doctor instead of going in for surgery to remove the blockade, adopted the method which became successful. “Now I am the happy and proud father,” he added.
A UNI correspondent, the first outsider to see the country’s first test-tube baby at the nursing home this morning, found the 120-hour old baby a healthy fair complexioned girl, sleeping in a creche. The baby has a broad forehead a pointed nose and head full of thick black hair. The sweet looking baby was smiling in slumber when a member of the Agarwal family adjusted her hair.
The 59-year-old grandfather of the baby, Mr Purosottom Agarwal, accompanied by a number of relatives was patting the sleeping baby. “I am happy and pray to God I should remain happy with my granddaughter,” he said.
“I will take back my daughter-in-law and the baby to my home tomorrow to keep them away from disturbance by many known and unknown people,” he added.
Mr Agarwal, a well-to-do businessman, admitted that the doctors did not disclose his identity at his own request.
The authorities of the private nursing home also kept up the secret. They did not allow anybody including newsmen to meet the mother or give the address of the couple. They did not even allow the nursing staff to talk to anyone about the birth of the baby unless permitted either by the doctors or the couple.
Mr Agarwal said Dr Mukherjee wag expected to be back in the city by October 16 “and the next day I will celebrate the birth of my daughter with my relatives and also newsmen.”
Roth mother and the baby, born on Oct. 3 were doing fine.
PTI adds: The scientists, claiming to have carried out the birth will place the technique and the methodology they had adopted before the India Science Congress to be held at Hyderabad in January next.
