Carl Djerassi (October 29, 1923 – January
30, 2015) was an Austrian-born Bulgarian-American
chemist, novelist, playwright and co-founder
of Djerassi Resident Artists Program with
Diane Wood Middlebrook.
He is best known for his contribution to the
development of oral contraceptive pills, nicknamed
the father of the pill.
== Early life ==
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.
His mother was Alice Friedmann, a Viennese
dentist and physician.
Both parents were Jewish.Following his parents'
divorce, Djerassi and his mother moved to
Vienna.
Until the age of 14, he attended the same
realgymnasium that Sigmund Freud had attended
many years earlier; he spent summers in Bulgaria
with his father.Austria refused him citizenship
and after the Anschluss, his father briefly
remarried his mother in 1938 to allow Carl
and his mother to escape the Nazi regime and
flee to Sofia, Bulgaria, where he lived with
his father for a year.
Bulgaria, although not immune to antisemitism,
proved a safe haven, as the country managed
to save its entire 48,000-strong Jewish population
from deportation to Nazi concentration camps.
During his time in Sofia, Djerassi attended
the American College of Sofia where he became
fluent in English.In December 1939, Djerassi
arrived with his mother in the United States,
nearly penniless.
Djerassi's mother worked in a group practice
in upstate New York.
In 1949, his father emigrated to the United
States, practiced in Pennsylvania and West
Virginia, and eventually retired near his
son in San Francisco.
== Education ==
Djerassi started his college career at Newark
Junior College, briefly attended Tarkio College,
and then studied chemistry at Kenyon College,
where he graduated summa cum laude.
After one year at CIBA, he moved to the University
of Wisconsin–Madison where he earned his
Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1945.
His thesis work examined the transformation
of the male sex hormone testosterone into
the female sex hormone estradiol, through
a sequence of chemical reactions.
== Career ==
In 1942/43, Djerassi worked for CIBA in New
Jersey, developing Pyribenzamine (tripelennamine),
his first patent and one of the first commercial
antihistamines.In 1949 Djerassi became associate
director of research at Syntex in Mexico City
and remained there through 1951.
He has said that one factor influencing him
to choose Syntex was that they had a DU spectrophotometer.
He worked on a new synthesis of cortisone
based on diosgenin, a steroid sapogenin derived
from a Mexican wild yam.
His team later synthesized norethisterone
(norethindrone), the first highly active progestin
analogue that was effective when taken by
mouth.
This became part of one of the first successful
combined oral contraceptive pills, known colloquially
as the birth-control pill, or simply, the
Pill.
From 1952–1959 he was professor of chemistry
at Wayne State University in Detroit.Djerassi
participated in the invention in 1951, together
with Mexican Luis E. Miramontes and Hungarian-Mexican
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.In 1957, he became vice
president of research at Syntex in Mexico
City while on leave of absence from Wayne
State.
In 1960 Djerassi became a professor of chemistry
at Stanford University, a position he held
until 2002 but only part-time as he never
left industry.
From 1968 until 1972 he also served as president
of Syntex Research at Palo Alto.The Syntex
connection brought wealth to Djerassi.
He bought a large tract of land in Woodside,
California, and started a cattle ranch called
SMIP.
(Initially an acronym for "Syntex Made It
Possible", other variants have been suggested
since.)
He also assembled a large art collection.
His collection of works by Paul Klee was considered
to be one of the most significant to be privately
held.
He arranged for his Klee collections to be
donated to the Albertina in Vienna and the
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, effective
on his death.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.
Focusing on the steroid hormones and alkaloids,
he elucidated the structure of steroids, an
area in which he published over 1,200 papers.
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.In
1968, he started a new company, Zoecon, which
focused on environmentally soft methods of
pest control, using modified insect growth
hormones to stop insects from metamorphosing
from the larval stage to the pupal and adult
stages.
Zoecon was eventually acquired by Occidental
Petroleum, which later sold it to Sandoz,
now Novartis.
Part of Zoecon survives in Dallas, Texas,
making products to control fleas and other
pests.
In 1965 at Stanford University, nobel laureate
Joshua Lederberg, computer scientist Edward
Feigenbaum, and Djerassi devised the computer
program DENDRAL (dendritic algorithm) for
the elucidation of the molecular structure
of unknown organic compounds taken from known
groups of such compounds, such as the alkaloids
and the steroids.
This was a prototype for expert systems and
one of the first uses of artificial intelligence
in biomedical research.Djerassi was a member
of the Board of Sponsors of the Bulletin of
the Atomic Scientists and was chairman of
the Pharmanex Scientific Advisory Board.
== Publications ==
Djerassi published widely as a novelist, playwright
and scientist.
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."
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.
He wrote a number of plays which have been
performed and extensively translated.
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.
=== Science-in-fiction ===
Djerassi wrote five novels, four of which
he describes as "science-in-fiction", fiction
which portrays the lives of real scientists,
with all their accomplishments, conflicts,
and aspirations.
The genre is also referred to as Lab lit.In
his first two novels, Cantor's Dilemma and
Bourbaki Gambit, he shows how scientists work
and think.
In Cantor's Dilemma, there is the suspicion
of scientific fraud; in Bourbaki Gambit the
question of personal achievement stands in
the center.
In the third, Menachem's Seed, ICSI and the
Pugwash organization are the main themes.
In the last, NO, he shows how young scientists
develop an idea as far as founding a company
to market a product - something Djerassi himself
did in the field of insecticides.
The topic of the fifth novel, Marx Deceased,
is the role of a writer's earlier bestsellers
for the assessment of a new work - in contrast
to the assessment of an anonymous work or
one of a formerly unknown author.
He plays with this topic also in Bourbaki
Gambit.
=== Science-in-theatre ===
After his success with prose literature in
the Science-in-Fiction genre, Carl Djerassi
started to write plays.
Theatre, even more so than prose, seems to
fulfill his desire to work in a more “dialogical”
environment than the monological natural sciences
had allowed him to do.
According to British director Andy Jordan,
who has produced all of his plays in England,
Djerassi’s dramatic works are “not wholly
or straightforwardly naturalistic or realistic
[…but] avowedly text-driven, where ideas,
themes, words and language were majorly important,
a fact I had always to be conscious of as
the director.”
Djerassi’s first play, An Immaculate Misconception
(1998), dealing with the in vitro fertilization
procedure ICSI, was followed by two plays
about priority struggles in the history of
science, Oxygen (co-authored with Roald Hoffmann,
1999) and Calculus (2002), and a drama at
the intersection of chemistry and art history,
Phallacy (2004).
Ego (2003, also produced under the title Three
on a Couch), together with the docudrama Four
Jews on Parnassus (2006, publ.
2008) and Foreplay (2010), are the only three
dramatic pieces which do not deal with science-in-literature
but rather carry the notion of intellectual
competitiveness into literature, philosophy
and the humanities.
Taboos (2006), a complex play between reproductive,
gender and political issues, returns to Djerassi’s
central concerns as a scientist; his 2012
play Insufficiency is a bitter satire of both
the scientific community and academic environments.As
in his novels, Djerassi's plays incorporate
the life and achievements of (sometimes famous)
scientists as well as new scientific technologies.
The science in his plays is always scientifically
plausible although the dramatic personae and
locations are fictitious.
By placing scientists and research into dramatic
worlds, he raises critical questions about
the sciences as cultural systems and looks
into internal conflicts and contradictions
in science and between scientists.
The constant competition between them, the
need for priority in new scientific discoveries
even if the required speed necessitates risky
and immoral means, as well as the problematic
consequences of new discoveries are important
topics of the plays.
Connected with many of these questions is
the role of women in the sciences (including
researchers’ wives and female friends).
Djerassi’s plays recognize the special contributions
women make as scientists and to science, both
directly and indirectly.
His female characters are usually depicted
as strong and independent, proving a strong
impact of feminist thinking on his work.Djerassi's
plays have found their way into theatres around
the globe and have been translated into a
large number of European and Asian languages.
Djerassi repeatedly revised his plays and
some of them have different versions and multiple
endings (especially "An Immaculate Misconception":
the nationalities of the main characters vary,
also the endings).
Where possible, Carl Djerassi also cooperated
with directors in the production of dramatic
performances.
All of his plays have been published in book
form, many of them in a number of languages.
Some of them can be downloaded from his website.
=== Poetry ===
Djerassi wrote numerous poems that were published
in journals or anthologies.
Some of the poems reflected his life as a
chemist (e.g.
Why are chemists not poets or The clock runs
backwards), others his personal life (e.g.
A Diary of Pique).
=== Non-fiction ===
Optical Rotatory Dispersion, McGraw-Hill & Company,
1960.
The Politics of Contraception
Steroids Made it Possible
The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse
From the Lab into The World: A Pill for People,
Pets, and Bugs
Paul Klee: Masterpieces of the Djerassi Collection
Dalla pillola alla penna
This Man's Pill: Reflections on the 50th Birthday
of the Pill
In Retrospect : From the Pill to the Pen
=== Fiction ===
Cantor's Dilemma
The Bourbaki Gambit
The Futurist and Other StoriesHow I Beat Coca-Cola
and Other Tales of One-Upmanship
Marx, Deceased.
A Novel
Menachem's Seed.
A NovelMenachem's Seed
NO.
A NovelNO
=== Drama ===
Chemistry in Theatre: Insufficiency, Phallacy
or Both
Foreplay: Hannah Arendt, the Two Adornos,
and Walter Benjamin
Four Jews on Parnassus
An Immaculate Misconception: Sex in an Age
of Mechanical ReproductionL.A. Theatre Works
Oxygen (with Roald Hoffmann, coauthor)
Newton's Darkness: Two Dramatic Views
Sex in an Age of Technological Reproduction:
ICSI and TABOOS
== Awards and honors ==
Djerassi won numerous awards during his career
including:
Ernest Guenther Award of the American Chemical
Society (1969)
Scheele Award (1972)
National Medal of Science (President of the
United States of America, 1973) for his work
on the contraceptive pill (The award was somewhat
ironic in that his name at the time was on
the infamous "Nixon's enemies list", which
was compiled by Charles Colson and Richard
Nixon.
He learned this from an article in the San
Francisco Examiner, several months later.)
Perkin Medal (1975)
Inducted into the National Inventors Hall
of Fame (1978)
First recipient of the Wolf Prize, 1978
National Medal of Technology (President of
the United States of America, 1991) for "his
broad technological contributions to solving
environmental problems; and for his initiatives
in developing novel, practical approaches
to insect control products that are biodegradable
and harmless"
Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award
(1980)
Priestley Medal (American Chemical Society,
1992)
Willard Gibbs Award (Chicago Section of the
American Chemical Society., 1997)
Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art,
1st class (1999)
Othmer Gold Medal (2000)
Prize of the German Chemical Society for Writers
(2001)
Grand Gold Medal for services to the province
of Lower Austria (2002)
Gold Medal of the capital Vienna (2002)
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal
Republic of Germany (2003)
Erasmus Medal of the Academia Europaea (2003)
American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal
(2004)
Lichtenberg Medal of the Göttingen Academy
of Sciences (2005)
Premio letterario Serono in Rome (2005)
An Austrian postage stamp with Djerassi's
portrait, issued to mark his 80th birthday
(2005) The Austrian government also sent him
a new Austrian passport.
Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services
to the Republic of Austria (2008)
Honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Humanities
of the Technical University of Dortmund for
his literary work (as 21 honorary doctorate)
(2009)
Alecrin Prize (2009, Vigo, Spain)
Foreign Member of the Royal Society (2010)
Edinburgh Medal (2011)
Honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Chemistry
and Geosciences, Heidelberg University (2011)
Honorary doctorate from the Porto University
(2011)
Honorary Doctorate from the University of
Vienna (2012)
Honorary Doctorate from the Medical University
of Vienna (2012)
Honorary Doctorate from the University of
Applied Arts, Vienna (2013)
Honorary Doctorate from the Sigmund Freud
University, Vienna (2013)
Honorary Doctorate from the American University
in Bulgaria (2013)
Honorary Doctorate from the University of
Innsbruck (2014)Djerassi Glacier on Brabant
Island in Antarctica is named after Carl Djerassi.An
award that eluded Djerassi was the Nobel Prize,
where he is considered one of the more notable
"snubs" by the Nobel Committee.
== Personal life ==
Djerassi was married three times.
He and Virginia Jeremiah were married in 1943
and divorced in 1950.
Djerassi married Norma Lundholm later that
year.
They had two children, and were divorced in
1976.In 1977, Djerassi began a relationship
with bestselling biographer and Stanford University
professor of English Diane Middlebrook, and
in 1985 they were married.
In 2002 she became professor emerita to work
full-time as a biographer.
In that same year, Djerassi also became professor
emeritus.
They divided their time between homes in San
Francisco and in London (their life there
recalled by a friend), until her death on
15 December 2007.On July 5, 1978, Djerassi's
artist daughter Pamela (from his second marriage,
to Norma Lundholm), committed suicide, which
is described in his autobiography.
With Middlebrook's help, Djerassi then considered
how he could help living artists, rather than
collecting works of dead ones.
He visited existing artist colonies, such
as Yaddo and MacDowell, and decided to create
his own, the Djerassi Resident Artists Program.
He closed his cattle ranch and converted the
barn and houses to residential and work space
for artists.
He and his wife moved to a high rise in San
Francisco that they had renovated.
Djerassi's son Dale (also with Norma Lundholm)
is a documentary filmmaker and private investor.Djerassi
described himself as a "Jewish atheist".Djerassi
died on January 30, 2015, at the age of 91
from complications of liver and bone cancer.
== References ==
== External links ==
Personal website
Biography
Center for Oral History.
"Carl Djerassi".
Science History Institute.
Sturchio, Jeffrey L.; Thackray, Arnold (31
July 1985).
Carl Djerassi, Transcript of an Interview
Conducted by Jeffrey L. Sturchio and Arnold
Thackray at Stanford University on 31 July
1985 (PDF).
Philadelphia, PA: Center for History of Chemistry.
Carl Djerassi tells his life story at Web
of Stories
Djerassi Resident Artists Program
Djerassi’s autograph from The Chemical Record
Bob Weintraub, Israel Chemical Society.
Pincus, Djerassi, and Oral Contraceptives
