John D. Biggers (1923-2018) was a physiologist and veterinary scientist whose work contributed to the development of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Biggers is known for a 1958 paper, “Successful Development and Birth of Mice cultivated in vitro as Early Embryos,” published in Nature with Anne McClaren. This paper reported the first successful development of a mammalian early embryo in culture and was a step towards the development of IVF in humans. He continued to be interested in IVF, especially in IVF ethics, serving as Chief Scientific Advisor to President Carter's Ethics Advisory Board of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Biggers joined Harvard Medical School in 1972 as Professor of Physiology with the Laboratory of Human Reproduction and Reproductive Biology. Biggers also researched and co-wrote a biography of British embryologist Walter Heape.
The John D. Biggers papers consist of correspondence, reprints, reports, and research material created and collected by Biggers in his professional role as a physiologist. There are also research materials, drafts, and correspondence from Biggers’ writing of the biography Walter Heape, F.R.S.: A pioneer of reproductive biology, with his co-author Carol Kountz.
For more information about Biggers and his collection, please view the collection’s online finding aid. For information about accessing the collection, please consult the Center’s website or email Public Services.