His father was a church organist while his mother was a social service worker. Although Steptoe studied music as a child, he chose medicine over music at an early age. Steptoe was educated at Kings College, London, and at St. George's Hospital Medical School of the University of London. He was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and licensed by the Royal College of Physicians in 1939.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Steptoe volunteered for the Royal Navy Reserve, and served as a naval surgeon. In 1941, the Germans sank his ship off the island of Crete. He was captured and taken to a prisoner of war camp in Italy. As a physician, Steptoe was allowed to move about the camp freely. He reportedly helped other prisoners escape. When his captors discovered this, Steptoe was placed in solitary confinement. He was released in 1943.
Established Medical Practice
After the war, Steptoe completed his medical studies and established a practice in Manchester, England, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1951, he began working at the Oldham General and District Hospital in Oldham, a mill town a few miles northeast of Manchester. There he studied methods of sterilization and the problems of infertility.
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