Subhash Mukhopadhyay (physician) - End of Experiment

End of Experiment

18 November 1978. An ‘expert committee’ was appointed by the Government of West Bengal under the medical association to decide over the fate of a convict named Dr. Subhas Mukhopahyay. His charges are, one, he claims to be the architect of first human test tube baby named Durga (3 October 1978). Secondly, he announced the report to the media before being cleared by the Government bureaucrats. Thirdly, he made this impossible possible with few general apparatus and a refrigerator in his small southern avenue flat while others cannot even think of it, although, having all the expensive resources in their hand (in this research Mukhopadhyay was assisted by Sunit Mukherji and S.K. Bhattacharya). Fourth and most important allegation, he never let his head down by the Government Bureaucrats and his straightforwardness always attracted jealousy out of his peers. The committee was presided over by a Radio physicist and it was composed of a gynecologist, a psychologist, a physicist and a neurologist. None of them had any knowledge about modern reproductive technology. “Where did you keep these embryos?” Mukhopahdhyay said “in sealed ampules.” Then he asked again “How did you seal an ampule?” Speechless Mukhopadhyay could only utter “pardon?” From here started a questioning and counter questioning session which need not to be mentioned was utterly meaningless. “Oh! Embryos do not die while sealing?” there were people who never saw embryos in the entire span of their lifetime.

The Committee put forward its final verdict, “Everything that Dr. Mukhopadhyay claims is bogus.”

Only 67 days earlier, on 25 July 1978, world’s first human test tube baby Louise Joy Brown was born at Oldham General Hospital in England. Architects were Robert Edward and Patrick Steptoe. In their procedure they collected an ovum by using a laparoscope. At first they observed the evolution and development of the ovum for a long time and then collected it through a small incision. The ovum thus collected is then fertilized by sperm on a small disc. When it forms into an embryo scientists placed it into the womb. But Mukhopadhyay without using a laparoscope collected the ovum by performing a small operation in the vagina. He increased the number of ova collected by using hormones and developed an embryo. Lastly, he placed it in the womb. Edwards was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2010 for his efforts.

Thanks to his peers and Government bureaucrats he was ultimately handed a punishment and transferred to an ophthalmic department which sealed his prospect of working on hormones.