Reproductive Science and Early In Vitro Fertilization Research Pincus and Shapiro Parthenogenesis Study 1940

Gregory Pincus Contraceptive pill Assisted reproductive technologies

Ephemera and pamphlets

Pincus, Gregory; Shapiro, H. Further Studies on the Parthenogenetic Activation of Rabbit Eggs, 1940, documents experimental reproductive biology at a formative stage in twentieth-century fertility research. The material addresses laboratory-based manipulation of mammalian eggs, contributing to early scientific understanding of fertilization, embryonic development, and cellular differentiation. Produced during a period of expanding inquiry into reproductive control, the study reflects the emergence of experimental systems that would later inform hormonal contraception and assisted reproductive technologies.

Pincus, Gregory; Shapiro, H. Further Studies on the Parthenogenetic Activation of Rabbit Eggs. Reprinted from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 26, No. 3, March 1940. Stapled offprint, 3 pages, measuring approximately 7" x 10", with brown printed covers. Stamped on the front cover: “Presented by Dr. E.N. Harvey to the Zoology Department Library, University of North Carolina.” The study examines the system of mammalian reproductive experimentation through controlled activation of rabbit eggs, demonstrating the process by which unfertilized ova may be stimulated to initiate development under laboratory conditions. The text outlines experimental techniques including electrical stimulation, chemical treatment, and temperature variation, showing how these interventions influence cell division and blastocyst formation. It further analyzes chromosomal outcomes, distinguishing between haploid and diploid development, and compares parthenogenetic activation to sperm-induced fertilization to clarify underlying biological mechanisms. The study provides direct evidence of how reproductive systems can be experimentally manipulated, establishing a framework for later research into embryology and fertility control.

Published during Pincus’s early experimental work following his controversial in vitro fertilization research of the 1930s, this offprint reflects a critical phase in the development of modern reproductive science. The findings contributed to ongoing investigations into hormonal and cellular control of reproduction, which later intersected with efforts to develop oral contraceptives. Minor water staining to the right margin of interior pages without loss of text; covers clean and binding secure; overall very good condition. This offprint offers a concise primary record of experimental reproductive systems research at a pivotal moment in twentieth-century biology.

Item #21219

Price: $550.00