John Rock 1890 - 1984

Graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1918. Professor of Obstetrics in 1922 at Harvard Medical School. 1944, with Harvard scientist Miriam F. Menkin, Rock fertilized the first human egg in a test tube. Corresponded with Gregory Pincus, and M. C. Chang, about the possibility of developing a useful oral synthetic progesterone. Rock carried out field trials in Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Mexico, with manufacturing by G. D. Searle & Company. 1959, Rock was chosen by Searle to present his results to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This was so that Searle could license the ‘Pill’ (oral progestin).