6 Ethics for Embryologists 143into and ‘examine’ the practices, conversations and material culture of
the laboratory. Any opportunities for old style ‘participant observation’
of such outcome-sensitive scientific procedures as ICSI (intracytoplas-
mic sperm injection)^2 was entirely (and, for clinical outcomes, most
fortunately!) beyond the scope of a non-embryologist. However, rou-
tine tasks such as receiving labelled samples, restocking cabinets and
answering phone calls were undertaken. Material culture such as the
treasured ‘baby book’ which held a central place in the laboratory, and
contained the outcomes of every IVF cycle in the clinic, could be stud-
ied. Multiple opportunities arose through each working day to question
and learn. Through these techniques, the delicate rhythms of biological
science that made the collection of boxes, benches, microscopes, com-
puters, telephones, and reagents a ‘laboratory’ slowly became under-
standable.
The researchers were also provided with an overview of the entire
facility and access to the standard patient information sheets and regu-
larly scheduled staff meetings. Structured interviews with 14 consent-
ing scientists were undertaken, along with repeated conversations in
less formal settings, congruent with Madden’s ( 2010 ) continuum of
ethnographic interviewing as a spread of practices including conversa-
tions, negotiations and formal interviewing. The project received ethical
approval from the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee, and
although demographic data were collected, the small size of the popula-
tion precludes our use of it because of its capacity to identify individu-
als who wish to remain anonymous. We have used the term ‘biological
scientists’ to describe the variety of science roles that our interviewees
fulfilled including andrology, endocrinology and embryology. No labo-
ratory technicians worked in these laboratories—instead, the workforce
was elite and highly experienced. Fragments of their interviews, and our
anthropological field notes, observations and reflections are embedded
within this chapter. We have used italics in quotations to indicate an
emphasis in the scientists’ speech patterns. As is the custom in ethno-
graphic writing, we begin our account with a story of our ‘arrival in the
field’.