• Inventor:

  • Maharshi Sushrut (6th century BCE) Expert in Gynaecology

  • Maharshi Kapil (7th to 5th century BCE) Father of Medical Sciences

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• Location: Bharatvarsh

• Description: Ancient Indian sages and scholars demonstrated a nuanced understanding of human physiology and reproduction, as evidenced by their comprehensive texts on medicine and anatomy. Within these texts, the seminal role of sperm in the conception process was acknowledged, recognizing its crucial contribution to the creation of new life.

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Evidence:

• Sushrut Samhita (Sutrasthana, Chapter 2, Verse 4):

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सांजातं रेतः कुलायां प्राजायते गर्भोत्पादनम्।

पुमान् स्त्री च यो गर्भे स्यात् स धर्मान् समानयेत्।।

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Translation: From the union of semen (reta) and the egg (kula) arises the creation of the embryo (garbhotpādanam). Therefore, the man and woman who are involved in conception must fulfil their respective duties (dharma).

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Meaning: This verse from the Sushrut Samhita highlights the ancient understanding of how human reproduction works. It explains that both the man's semen and the woman's egg are equally important in creating a baby, showing that both partners play an essential role in conception.

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Now let us go through some more verses of “Bhagavat Puran” by Maharshi Ved Vyas (Expert in gynaecology and a great scientist), which provides very comprehensive detail on stage-by-stage development of egg to embryo and embryo to foetus.

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• Shrimad Bhagavatam (Chapter 31, Verse 2):

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कललं त्वेक-रात्रेण पञ्च-रात्रेण बुद्बुदम् ।

दशाहेन तु कर्कण्धूः पेष्य् अण्डं वा ततः परम्॥

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Meaning: On the primary night, the sperm and ovum blend, and on the fifth night the blend matures into a bubble. On the tenth night, it creates a shape like a plum, and after that, it steadily turns into a knot of tissue or an egg, as the case may be.

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• Shrimad Bhagavatam, Chapter 31, Verse 2:

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मासेन तु शिरो द्वाभ्यां बाह्वङ्घ्र्याद्यङ्गविग्रहः।

नखलोमास्थिचर्माणि लिङ्गच्छिद्रोद्भवस्त्रिभिः॥

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Meaning: Within the course of a month, a head is shaped, and after two months the hands, feet and other appendages take shape. By the conclusion of three months, the nails, fingers, toes, body hair, bones and skin show up, as do the reproductive organs and the other gaps within the body, specifically the eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth and butt.

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• Shrimad Bhagavatam (Chapter 31, Verse 2):

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चतुर्भिर्धातवः सप्त पञ्चभिः क्षुत्तृडुद्भवः।

षड्भिर्जरायुणा वीतः कुक्षौ भ्राम्यति दक्षिणे॥

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Meaning: Four months from the date of conception, the seven fundamental fixings of the body, to be specific chyle, blood, tissue, fat, bone, marrow and semen, come into existence. After five months, starvation and thirst make themselves felt, and after six months, the baby, encased by the amnion, starts to move on the proper side of the guts.

The connection between Modern and Ancient Concepts of Fertilization in Humans: The verses from the Sushrut Samhita and Shrimad Bhagavatam align closely with the modern concept of fertilization by sperm in human reproduction. It highlights the recognition of sperm's pivotal role in conception and underscores the importance of both male and female contributions to the process of reproduction. This ancient insight aligns with modern scientific understanding, showing that ancient knowledge in biology is still relevant today.

• Contributor: Aristotle (384-322 BCE), Wilhelm Roux (1850-1924), Oscar Hertwig (19thcentury)

• Location: Germany

• Description: Fertilization by sperm in human reproduction is the precise biological process wherein a male sperm cell, carrying genetic material, successfully penetrates and merges with a female egg cell, initiating the formation of a zygote. This zygote, containing the combined genetic material of both parents, undergoes rapid cell division and differentiation, ultimately resulting in the development of an embryo and, subsequently, a foetus.