The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse/the Remarkable Autobiography of the Award-Winning Scientist Who Synthesized the Birth Control Pill
by Carl Djerassi

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Book Reviews of The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse/the Remarkable Autobiography of the Award-Winning Scientist Who Synthesized the Birth Control Pill

Book Review: No regrets.
Summary: 5 Stars

Djerassi give us an incisive picture of his personal life. But the biggest part of this book tells the intriguing story of the synthesizing of the Pill and the problems to prove that there were only minor side-effects: a battle with the FDA. A good lesson for every scientist.
He is perhaps too harsh for the environmental fundamentalist. But he remarks among other things that "... in general, life in the modern industrial world has not contributed to increased death from cancer", and that "99.9 percent of all pesticides consumed by humans are derived not from synthetics but rather from the plants themselves".
Also interesting is the story of the Pugwash Conference, whose altruistic goal was corrupted by a struggle between the cold war warriors.
His biggest confession "At heart, I'm still a gambler."
Excellent work, not only for scientists.

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