Landrum Brewer Shettles



Landrum Brewer Shettles (21 November, 1909 – 6 February, 2003) was an American biologist and pioneering in vitro fertilization researcher at Columbia University.

Shettles was raised in Pontotoc, Mississippi and attended Columbia University. In 1951 he duplicated the Rock-Menkin experiments in fertilizing eggs, and in 1954 he received a Markle Scholarship, which was awarded to one scientist at Columbia University each year. In 1960 Shettles published Ovum Humanum, a book containing color photographs of fertilized human eggs in various stages of development. He made the first United States attempt at an in vitro fertilization. The experiment was terminated, which led to a court case by the sperm and egg donors.