Carl Djerassi

Carl Djerassi was born in Vienna to an Austrian mother and Bulgarian father. Both parents were involved in the medical profession and, growing up surrounded by medical paraphernalia, he assumed that he would become a doctor. For the first four years of his schooling in Austria, he attended a girls' school as the boys school was full. He says "women are much more important than men in my life. I mean, I enjoyed it, I'm not complaining at all!" He didn't start studying science until his mid-teens and the outbreak of war meant a move to America, where he attended a pre-medical course at college. He soon became interested in organic chemistry and focussed on this subject for his PhD.

Whilst working at a pharmaceutical company he was involved in two important discoveries. The synthesis of cortisone from plant material was, at that time, the most competitive and difficult project amongst chemists. Cortisone was considered a wonder drug in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation and eczema. The other discovery was the creation of a progesterone that could be orally active - aimed at treating menstrual disorders and infertility. It was realised that it could be used as a contraceptive but, as Carl says: "in the 1950s contraception was not high on the priority list. Pharmaceutical companies, with one exception, were not interested in that field. The population explosion and these concepts did not come about until 10 years later". It wasn't until 1960 that it was approved by the FDA as a contraceptive and became the Pill.

Carl spent the next few years working in research and universities. He has also published five novels, three plays, a book of short stories, an autobiography and a memoir and is still writing. He describes a lot of his work as science in fiction - not science fiction - which explores aspects of scientific behaviour and of scientific facts. As he says, "Disguising them in the cloak of fiction, it is possible to illustrate ethical dilemmas that frequently are not raised for reasons of discretion, embarrassment, or fear of retribution".

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Choices

1.

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky

Sadly rustled the leaves

Soloist: Boris Kristov Orchestra: French National Radio Orchestra

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2.

Hector Berlioz

Les nuits d'été

Soloist: Marie Nicole Lemieux with Daniel Blumenthal

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3.

Giuseppe Verdi

Ella è pura (from Un ballo in maschera)

Soloist: Placido Dominog Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

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4.

Neil Young

Helpless

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5.

Castaway's favourite

Gustav Mahler

Kindertotenlieder

Soloist: Janet Baker Orchestra: Hallé Orchestra

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6.

Joaquín Rodrigo

Respondemos (from Sephardic Love Songs)

Soloist: Victoria de Los Angeles, G Parsons

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7.

Ludwig van Beethoven

String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59/1 'Rasumovsky'

Orchestra: The Takacs Quartet

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8.

Steve Reich

Who Is Ibrahim? (from The Cave)

Orchestra: Steve Reich Ensemble Conductor: Paul Hillier

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Book

Collected poetry and prose by Wallace Stevens

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Luxury item

A solar powered computer with a secret compartment containing a white powder

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