Father of Birth Control Pill Carl Djerassi passes away

February 1, 2015

Renowned chemist Carl Djerassi has passed away in San Francisco, United States (US). He was 91.
He was famously known as the father of the birth control pills for his contribution to the development of oral contraceptive birth pills.

About Carl Djerassi

He was born on 29 October 1923.
In 1951, he had led a research team in Mexico City that developed a synthetic molecule norethindrone– a key component of the first birth control pill.
Later, he had submitted many research papers on birth control pills. It includes a public policy article about the global implications of U.S. contraceptive research in 1969 and another article about the feasibility of a birth control pill for men in 1970.
It should be noted that the first birth-control pill approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) was Enovid, developed Frank Colton at G.D. Searle & Co and not by him.
He was also professor emeritus of chemistry at Stanford University and had written many poems, short stories and plays with an emphasis on mixing science and literature. Some of the poems reflected his life as a chemist.
Awards: For his work on the contraceptive pills he was awarded US’s prestigious award National Medal of Science (1973), National Medal of Technology (1991). He was also inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame in 1978 for his research.