Item BSDB/7/2/1 - The International Society of Developmental Biology (ISDB): History/Foundation

Extent: 1 folder

Folder containing material relating to the ISDB: Covering letter to Jonathan Slack (BSDB Sec) re the ISDB material, 30 Nov 1995. Booklet: ISDB News, March 1986 containing 'A History of ISDB' by J Faber (Hubrecht Laboratory, Utrecht) and 'Congress Reports', 1986. Extract (in French) of the first meeting of the 'Institut International d'Embryologie' in 1912 (copy). Agenda/minutes (in French) of meeting of the 'Institut International d'Embryologie', Utrecht, Oct 1933 (copy). Minutes of meeting of the 'Institut International d'Embryologie' Turin, Sep 1936 (copy). Minutes (in French) of meeting of the 'Institut International d'Embryologie' in London, Aug 1938 (copy). Paper (copy) 'Institut International d'Embryologie 1911-1961' a history by P D Nieuwkoop, c 1961. Paper (copy): 'Development of the nervous system, a symposium organized by the British Society for developmental biology, Southampton, August 1980, report by Peter Thorogood', in TINS 1981. ISDB Newsletter, Congress Issue, Nov 1981 Correspondence: re BSDB and ISDB mutual funding, meetings, speakers etc, incl. a letter to the ISDB board reflecting worry over possible changed functions of the Hubrecht Laboratory, 1981 ISDB Newsletter (unbound) 1984/5, incl EDBO takes over JEEM conferences. Report of the ISDB Board Meetings held during the 10th Congress at Los Angeles, 1985. Poster for the 10th International Congress of ISDB, Los Angeles August 4-9 1985. Letter to members of the ISDB board from Frank Billett (Secretary) with list of nominated members, report of the Aug, 1985 Los Angeles board meeting, proposed budget for 1985-89 and list of board members, Jan 1986.

Admin History: The ISDB began as the Institut International d'Embryologie (IIE) in 1911, founded by Prof. A A W Hubrecht, embryologist and placentologist at the University of Utrecht. It began as a private organisation of the leading comparative embryologists of the day. It's aims were to further comparative study of the embryology of vertebrates, particularly of rare mammals; to establish international relations; to establish funds for the collection of samples and their conservation and availability to scientists internationally.The first official meeting took place in May 1912 in Freiburg, Germany, the second in Cambridge, England in 1914. Hubrecht died in 1915, but his family founded the Hubrecht Laboratory in 1916 which remained at the centre of the IIE. The IIE changed it's name to the International Society of Developmental Biologists (ISDB) in 1968 coinciding with the policy for increasing membership. Later conferences were not only much larger, but tended to be held outside Europe, partly because of the European focus of conferences organised by the Journal of Embryology and Experimental Morphology (JEEM) and later the EDBO.