The story of the pill.

A 1951 meeting between feminist Margaret Sanger, philanthropist Katherine McCormick and biologist Dr. G.G. Pincus is described as the beginning of the project which was to culminate in the development of the oral contraceptive. The stories of the lives of the 3 participants are told. Dr. Pincus' field, endocrinology and mammalian reproduction, is explained in general terms for the lay reader. The results of early experimental work on mammalian sex hormones are described, as are some of the early problems in manufacturing synthetic estrogen and progesterone. Pincus' career is outlined, beginning at the time of his brief appointment at Harvard University in 1930-36. Notes on related work done by other scientists in this period are interspersed with the biographical sketches. The work of Dr. John Rock on induction of pregnancy through administration of estrogen and progesterone is described, with reference to Pincus' work. Pincus' search for an inexpensive progesterone which would be effective when taken orally is described, with a tangential story of how diosgenin was produced in Mexico. Pincus' bold declaration to the general public that the development of a safe oral contraceptive would be soon attained enabled him to obtain funding for conducting field trials. Results of field trials in Puerto Rico and subsequent changes in the pill are discussed. The possible consequences of use of a technology developed from a primitive science are discussed, as is the attitude of Puerto Rican and Haitian women who were willing to take the risks explained to them in order to avoid future pregnancy. Popular controversies over the pill in the USA in the 1960s and 1970s are described.