The Inventor of the Contraceptive Pill, Carl Djerassi, Passed Away

Carl Djerassi, the famous of Bulgarian origin, died at the age of 91 after a prolonged illness. Djerassi is the inventor of the contraceptive pill, and he is also known for many scientific papers. Djerassi was born on October 29, 1923, in . His father, Samuel Djerassi, was a famous Bulgarian dermatologist in . Carl Djerassi spent some of his childhood in Sofia, and at the age of five he moved to Vienna with his mother. In 1938, he returned to Bulgaria to escape from the Nazis because of his Jewish origins.

He studied at the American College in Sofia, and then he moved to the USA at the age of 16. He started developing in the field of chemistry.

He neither liked the nickname “anti-baby” of the contraceptive pill that he invented, nor being called the father of the pill. He used to say that the pill was invented by a whole team, and it is against abortion, not against babies.

Djerassi also discovered the cortisol, a isolated from the adrenal gland. It reduces local inflammation and helps in the treatment of rheumatic, allergic and asthmatic conditions.

The specialist was named one of the 30 greatest people of the past millennium by the Times. He was placed next to Shakespeare, Newton, Einstein, Copernicus and Darwin.

In Bulgaria, prof. Djerassi was a member of the Academy of Sciences and a recipient of the honorary degree "Doctor Honoris Causa" of the academy. The former President of Bulgaria, Petar Stoyanov, awarded him with the Order of the Madara Horseman.

The last time Djerassi was in Bulgaria was in 2013. Then he received the honorary degree "Doctor Honoris Causa" of the American University in Bulgaria. Djerassi was a fan of art. He had one of the largest collections of works by , and used to donate them to museums.