Munro Lecture - ‘A certain kind of English embryology?’

The Munro Lectures are part of a series of public lectures organised by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Public lectures and events in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Lecture abstract

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HCA Sarah Franklin Munro Lecture

At a crucial meeting in their proceedings in November 1983, the 16 members of Britain’s influential Warnock Inquiry into Human Fertilisation and Embryology reached a key decision on how to base proposals for comprehensive legislation governing this largely uncharted territory. Famously, they chose the formation of the primitive streak in the developing early human embryo as the developmental landmark upon which to base the proposal for a 14 day rule, which came into law in 1900 and has since become the global standard for research in this area. Based on newly discovered archival material, this lecture re-examines the origins of the 14 day rule as an instance of biological translation, arguing for a more robust sociological account of both translational biology (bio innovation) and national bio-governance.

This event is free and open to all.

Biography

Franklin's first academic posts were in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Manchester and the Department of Sociology at Lancaster University. From 1993 she moved to a fulltime position at Lancaster where she was promoted to a Chair in the Anthropology of Science in 2001. In 2004 she moved to the LSE where she was Professor of Social Studies of Biomedicine and Associate Director of the BIOS Centre until 2011. She has held Visiting professorships at the University of California, the University of Tarragona, the University of Hannover, New York University and the University of Sydney. Her research has been supported by the ESRC, Leverhulme Trust, MRC, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Carnegie Foundation, European Commission, British Academy, Mellon Foundation, Philomathia Foundation, ERC and the Wellcome Trust. Throughout her career she has worked closely with clinicians, patients, scientists and policymakers in an attempt to widen sociological engagement with emerging issues in bioscience and biomedicine. She is a Fellow of Christ's College, the Royal Anthropological Institute, and The Royal Society of Biology as well as a Smith College Alumnae and Medallist (2011). In addition to directing the Reproductive Sociology Research Group, Franklin is a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator, co-Editor of the journal Reproductive Biomedicine and Society, and Chair of the Anne McLaren Trust.