The sequence of discovery in the reproductive sciences has been somewhat disordered. Ancient accounts of reproduction date to the writings of Greek philosophers - sure enough, these persons had a wealth of provocative ideas (some of which were probably passed on from eastern cultures). A long period then passed, nearly two millennia, with essentially no written record of accomplishment.
The concentration of early studies was on anatomical matters. The true birth of the study of reproductive processes closely paralleled the formulation of the experimental method about 150 years ago. A series of exemplar experiments, which set a firm stage to build upon, followed through the first half of the twentieth century. Still, progress was often hampered. There were setbacks during war years. And because of the prudish attitude of the public, it was unpopular to investigate issues of reproduction (this precipitated a lack of governmental funding for research).
In more recent times the pace of development of sophisticated technologies and the complementary steady growth of information has been extraordinary. The quest to stay current within even a subdiscipline of reproduction is humbling. I anticipate in awe what the next round of breakthroughs might bring.
Periods of history as discussed have been categorized into three eras - early, classical, and modern. For the hard-core historians among us, a sequential synopsis follows of important accomplishments impacting the field of vertebrate reproductive biology - with dates and principal scientists (Table 1-1).