Infertility is a problem for the couple and evaluation of the couple is preferable in a clinic where both males and females may be seen together. The contribution to care by the urologist and the gynaecologist each with an interest in infertility is different but complementary. My appreciation of this was sharpened between 1976 and 1985 during my association with the World Health Organization's Spe cial Programme of Research Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction at the meetings of the Steering Committee of its Task Force on Infertility. The deliberations of this group were aimed at developing a protocol for investigation of the infertile couple and it became apparent to me as a gynaecologist how important is the precise characterization of the male partner's role to the formulation of the management plan for the infertile couple. To improve the quality of our evaluation of the male partner our techni cal staff were trained in the semen methodology of the laboratory of Dr F Com haire of Ghent and we were joined by Dr CLR Barratt, male reproductive biologist. It seemed appropriate to share our enthusiasm for clinical andrology, so after discussion with Dr Comhaire and Professor T Glover, an eminent male reproductive biologist, then of Brisbane, who planned a sabbatical to his native was arranged for 1 and 2 May 1986. Professor Glover en Yorkshire, a meeting of the meeting."