Dr. Howard Jones, the pioneer of in vitro fertilization in the U.S., died in a Norfolk, Va. hospital Friday. He was 104 years old.
Jones died from respiratory failure, according to a statement released by the Eastern Virginia Medical School, The Washington Post reports.
The late surgeon is known to have helped achieve the first in vitro fertilization birth in the U.S. The successful procedure, worked on by Jones and his wife, endocrinologist Dr. Georgeanna Jones, came after 41 attempts.
The couples' hard work paid off when the first IVF birth happened on December 28, 1981 with Judith Carr giving birth to daughter Elizabeth Carr, the first "test tube baby" in the U.S., according to Boston Globe.
"The IVF success was an incredible accomplishment, not just for him personally but for our institution and for the profession of medicine," said Richard Homan, EVMS president and provost and dean of the School of Medicine, The Washington Post reports.
Dr. Alan DeCherney, director of reproductive and adult endocrinology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said Jones is "a world leader in in vitro fertilization and fertility problems, almost equivalent to Edwards," Boston Globe reports.
DeCherney was referring to Robert Edwards, who helped achieve the first IVF birth in England three years before Elizabeth Carr was born and who later credited Jones and his wife for his success.
Rebecca Sokol, president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, considered Jones as a "towering figure in reproductive medicine," according to USA Today.
"[He is] a talented physician, skilled surgeon, innovative researcher, valued teacher, great writer and a devoted family man. Human beings of his caliber are few and far between," Sokol said.
Jones' pioneering work has cotributed to an estimated 5 million babies born through IVF, according to USA Today.
Jones remained productive even after he turned 100. His last book, "In Vitro Fertilization Comes to America: Memoir of a Medical Breakthrough," was published last fall.
