Birth control pills for men: why not?

2002/09/01 Atxotegi Alegria, Uhaina - Elhuyar Zientziaren Komunikazioa Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Osasuna
• Historia

In 1939, at the age of sixteen, he emigrated to the United States fleeing the Nazism that lived in Austria. Being a young chemist, he worked in New Jersey for the Swiss pharmacy company CIBA. At the same time, she presented her doctoral thesis at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Winsconsin, in which she exposed how male testosterone of sex hormones can become a female estradiol.

After ten years working in the same company, he continued his research at the Mexican company Syntax S.A.. There he tried to synthesize and obtain steroidal substances. In 1951, although cortisone had already been synthesized, it achieved a better result: it not only detected a cheaper raw material, but it reduced many stages of reaction. But he also succeeded in synthesizing for the first time an oral contraceptive. As a result of these results, Wayne University first congratulated and that of Stanford in second place. He also received numerous scientific medals.

Although this product reassured many couples, others criticized him very much, and Carl Djerassi was considered a murderer. In fact, the birth control pill in the eyes of many people is extremely harmful. According to them, synthetic hormones are at high doses and harmful to the health of women. Women taking this pill have highlighted that they are more likely to have breast and cervix cancer: both types of cancer have increased by 50% since hormone contraception reached Western countries. In Japan and eastern countries, on the contrary, the use of these pills is very small, so few cases of this type of cancer are known. In the mouth of those who criticize negatively, cardiovascular risks are also frequent in these pills receptors. They say infarctions, strokes, pulmonary embolism, and other coagulation are more common.

Contraceptives also affect children: mothers who take the pill for many years have a higher risk of sexual malformations and heart problems.

Trying to resolve social and moral concerns...

Although he always continued as an analyst, he abandoned laboratory work to later devote himself to more philosophical studies. In fact, he began to reflect on the advances and problems that science entails. In 1970, for example, he began teaching at Stanford University to explain the social and political impact of advances in the field of reproduction. That same year he proposed in his article a male contraceptive pill as a new technique of control of human births.

In addition, he contacted colleagues at the time when he worked in Mexico, and worked for science to enter developing countries.

On the other hand, after having reflected on the contraceptive pill that has been obtained, he stressed that at present it is not convenient for governments and industries to make mistakes in this product, since they do not want to subsidize studies of other products that replace it.

Chemist and sociologist

Carl Djerassi is brave. In fact, after turning 60, he studied chemicals in several laboratory rooms and after spending years teaching at various universities, he jumped into literature. He is the author of multiple and varied publications: a collection of short stories, poetry, a scientific autobiography, a collection of memories and several novels.

The last of his nine novels is This man’s pill. This book was published last year on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill. It explains the history and scientific topics of this pill. It seeks to present dilemmas between morals, ethics and biology, without forgetting the relations of science with society and politics.

Carl Djeraso claims that he uses fiction as a method to explain many of the discoveries or controversies that are made in science. In passing, he believes it can be a good resource to attract many who do not like the scientific world. In fiction, for his part, according to the Austrian “everything is accepted, you can think or write anything”, and that is what you like most. However, a scientist could not do so in his professional career.

The literature, in addition to giving the opportunity to make public our concerns and opinions, thinks that everyone helps to know each other better. The chemist, in general, has very good chemical analyzers, but they say they rarely analyze the consequences that their products can have in society. Thanks to literature he has had the opportunity to know himself better and to analyze the behavior of professionals of the same profession. Writing not only serves to criticize others, but also to criticize each other.

A member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts, although at present he has stopped carrying out scientific experiments, he works in human experiences and in the training of young university students in this field.