John Michael Bedford ( Figure 1) studied at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University (1952–1958), and gained his BA (1955) and MA (1958) in Natural Sciences, with postgraduate training in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (Vet MB 1958). He had academic appointments as a Fellow at Bristol University (1958–1959), a scientist with MC Chang at the Worcester Foundation in Shrewsbury, MA, USA (1959–1961), and studied for a PhD in Physiology with Professor Amoroso at the University of London (1961–1965). During this time, he was also a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College (1961–1966) and a teacher at the University of London (1965). He then returned to Worcester (1966–1967) and thereafter was an Assistant Professor of Anatomy at Columba University, New York (1967–1970), Associate Professor (1970–1972), and from 1972 to 2000, both Professor of Reproductive Biology and Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy at Cornell University Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medical College). He became the Percy and Harold Uris Professor of Reproductive Biology (1981–2000) and Professor Emeritus of Reproductive Biology in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2000) at Cornell University. From 1986 to 1990, he was the Director of the in vitro fertilization laboratories at Cornell.
History, 20th Century ; History, 21st Century ; Humans ; Male ; Reproductive Medicine/history* ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; United Kingdom

The osmotic challenges facing maturing spermatozoa and their responses to them are discussed in relation to the concept of sperm maturation, defined as the increased ability of more distally recovered epididymal spermatozoa to fertilize eggs when inseminated into the female tract. One explanation could be that the more distal cells are better able to regulate their volume, and reach the oviducts, as a consequence of uptake of epididymal osmolytes. Increased motility, zona binding and oolemma fusion capacities are also acquired within the epididymis and are necessary for those cells that finally arrive at the site of fertilization.
Animals ; Epididymis ; physiology ; Female ; Fertilization ; physiology ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; physiopathology ; Male ; Mammals ; Mice ; Ovum ; physiology ; Sperm Maturation ; physiology ; Spermatozoa ; physiology