Carl Djerassi ("father of the Pill") died 30 Jan 2015
Carl Djerassi
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Carl Djerassi
Carl Djerassi HD2004 AIC Gold Medal crop.JPG
Carl Djerassi,
recipient of the AIC Gold Medal, 2004
Born October 29, 1923
Vienna, Austria
Died January 30, 2015 (aged 91)
San Francisco, California, United States
Nationality Bulgarian, Austrian, American
Fields Chemistry
Known for Synthesis of norethisterone, the first orally highly active progestin used in one of the first three oral contraceptive pills
Carl Djerassi (October 29, 1923 – January 30, 2015) was a Bulgarian, Austrian and American chemist, novelist, and playwright best known for his contribution to the development of oral contraceptive pills.[1] He participated in the invention in 1951, together with Mexican Luis E. Miramontes and Mexican-Hungarian George Rosenkranz, of the progestin norethisterone—which, unlike progesterone, remained effective when taken orally and was far stronger than the naturally occurring hormone. His preparation was first administered as an oral contraceptive to animals by Gregory Goodwin Pincus and Min Chueh Chang and to women by John Rock.[2]
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Djerassi continued to do significant scientific work, as a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University, and as an entrepreneur. He pioneered novel physical research techniques for mass spectrometry and optical rotatory dispersion and applied them to the areas of organic chemistry and the life sciences.[3] Focusing on the steroid hormones and alkaloids, he elucidated the structure of steroids, an area in which he published over 1,000 papers.[1] His scientific interests were wide-ranging, and his technological achievements include work in instrumentation, pharmaceuticals, insect control, the application of artificial intelligence in biomedical research, and the biology and chemistry of marine organisms.[3]
In 1985, Djerassi said "I feel like I'd like to lead one more life. I'd like to leave a cultural imprint on society rather than just a technological benefit."[3][4] He went on to write several novels in the "science-in-fiction" genre, including Cantor's Dilemma, in which he explored the ethics of modern scientific research through his protagonist, Dr. Cantor. He also wrote four autobiographies, the most recent of which, In Retrospect appeared in 2014.[3] He wrote a number of plays which have been performed and extensively translated.[5][6] His book Chemistry in Theatre: Insufficiency, Phallacy or Both discusses the potential pedagogic value of using dialogic style and the plot structure of plays with special focus on chemistry.[7]
Patent of the first orally highly active progestin, which led to the development of the oral contraceptive, elected to the USA Inventors Hall of Fame.
Carl Djerassi was born in Vienna, Austria, but spent the first years of his infancy in Sofia, Bulgaria, the home of his father, Samuel Djerassi, a dermatologist and specialist in sexually transmitted diseases.[8][9] His mother was Alice Friedmann, a Viennese dentist and physician. Both parents were Jewish.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Djerassi
Carl Djerassi, father of the Pill - obituary
Chemist, novelist, poet and philanthropist who created the world’s first contraceptive pill
Carl Djerassi, who has died aged 91, was a self-proclaimed “intellectual polygamist”, novelist, poet, collector and patron of the arts, dandy, entrepreneur and one of the most published chemists in history; he was best known, however, as the man who sparked a sexual and social revolution by synthesising the first oral contraceptive.
In addition to being the “Father of the Pill”, Djerassi’s name was on the patent for the world’s first antihistamines and he was a pioneer in the field of non-toxic pesticides. In his later years, he turned to writing fiction — novels, plays and essays — which explored the social and ethical dilemmas involved in reproductive medicine and scientific endeavour.
In This Man’s Pill: Reflections on the 50th birthday of the Pill (2001), Djerassi reflected on the revolution brought about by the oral contraceptive. Though he remained convinced of its social benefits, especially in liberating women to plan their families and have careers, he admitted that its invention had forced him to confront social consequences he had not initially considered when he had done his research.
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At about this time progesterone, a chemical created naturally in pregnant women to stop them conceiving, was being used to treat certain kinds of infertility and menstrual disorders, but it had to be injected – a painful and difficult process. In 1951 Djerassi came up with norethindrone, a synthetic form of the hormone that could survive absorption through the digestive tract. Its possible use, though, as an oral contraceptive did not come until 1960 when it was tested and approved by the Federal Drugs Administration. In 1959 Djerassi was appointed professor of chemistry at Stanford University at Palo Alto, near San Francisco.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11384755/Carl-Djerassi-father-of-the-Pill-obituary.html
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