Carl Djerassi, father of birth control pills dies at 91

Zee Media Bureau

San Francisco: Carl Djerassi, who was considered as the father of the birth control pills by the chemists, has passed away at the age of 91.

The Austrian-born US chemist died of complications related to liver and bone cancer on Friday in his San Francisco home, Stanford University spokesman Dan Stober said.

As a professor of Chemistry at Stanford, Djerassi was famous for leading a research team in Mexico City. In 1951, that team developed norethindrone, a synthetic molecule which became a key component of the first birth control pill.

"The pill", as it came to be known, radically transformed sexual practices and women's lives.

Djerassi also wrote poems, short stories and plays with an emphasis on mixing science and literature.

(With Agency Inputs)