In 1984 the first Spanish test tube baby was born, a girl named Victòria Anna, in honour of her “scientific mother”, a very young researcher (just 26) at the Institut Dexeus, Anna Veiga. The birth received massive media coverage and filled thousands of infertile couples with hope. From the first pages of her autobiographical book “The miracle of life”, Anna Veiga shares with us the nervousness, excitement, anxiety and finally euphoria that preceded the day in which, perched on a stool, she attended the birth.
From that point on the biologist describes her career, linking it with pioneering scientific advances, firstly in the field of assisted reproduction and later in work on stem cells. She doesn’t overlook the evolution of the regulations and laws governing assisted reproduction, cloning and stem cell research. Overall a really interesting read, touching and easy to follow, which mixes clear descriptions of scientific concepts with emotional personal details, including a letter from a child whose birth the author assisted, in which he says: “You did it: once again, your hands full of science and your heart full of hope have helped life”.
Book review written by Cristina Eguizabal Argaiz.
