Wikinventia — Atlas of discoveries and inventions · Global Age

First contraceptive pill — Enovid

1955 AD · Transmission: Disputed
MedicineInventionNorth American

The Enovid contraceptive pill was the result of a convergence between the experimental biology of Min Chueh Chang — who demonstrated that oral progesterone suppressed ovulation in mammals —, the scientific direction of Gregory Pincus, the clinical trials of John Rock in Puerto Rico and Boston, and the decisive funding of Katharine McCormick. The FDA approved it for contraceptive use in 1960. The historical canon tends to simplify this convergence under Pincus's name, especially silencing Chang's contribution.

InstitutionWorcester Foundation for Experimental Biology / Harvard Medical School
Historical regionUnited States
Primary sourcePincus, G.; Rock, J.; Chang, M.C. — Enovid clinical trials (1954–1956); FDA approval for contraceptive use (1960)
Secondary sourceTone, A. — Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America (2001, Hill & Wang)
Original languageEnglish
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