Karl Slotta
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Karl Slotta | |
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| Born | May 12, 1895 |
| Died | July 17, 1987 (aged 92) Coral Gables, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse | Maja Slotta |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Breslau |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Chemistry |
| Sub-discipline | biochemistry |
| Institutions | Chemical Institute in Breslau, Germany, Chemistry Institute of the University of Vienna, Instituto Butantan, University of Miami |
| Notable ideas | oral contraceptive pills |
Karl Heinrich Slotta (May 12, 1895 in
Life
Slotta was drafted into military service in
In 1933, Slotta was first, or one of the first, to isolate and identify progesterone (there being four separate research labs which claim such distinction).
In 1934, he proposed a correct
In Brazil, Slotta initially worked on the chemistry of coffee, from which bean oil he extracted a substance he called "cafestol" that he reported had estrogenic properties. As a result, European
On May 3, 1948, Slotta traveled from Santos, Brazil aboard the steamer, S.S. Argentina, arriving in at the Port of New York, May 17, 1948, with his wife Maja Slotta, and daughter.
They were bound for Berkeley, California, where Maja's brother, Heinz had relocated.
After moving to Miami, Florida with his wife and son in the 1956, Slotta unsuccessfully looked for a polio cure using venom.[4] Slotta purified the most basic polypeptide from
In 1956, Slotta was appointed research professor of biochemistry at the University of Miami, Florida. Slotta became a naturalized United States citizen March 30, 1961 in Miami, Florida.
Family
On July 16, 1927, Karl Slotta married Maja Fraenkel, PhD, daughter of Professor Ludwig Fraenkel (1870–1951) and Lili Conrat, in Breslau, Germany.
Ludwig Fraenkel was a prominent gynecologist and medical researcher in Breslau, Germany. Fraenkel's daughter, Maja Fraenkel (Slotta) was an economist, talented pianist, and author of a paper, published in 1928 addressing Zur Frage der psychotechnischen Eignungsprüfung für den Chemikerberuf.
The couple met through Slotta's work with Professor Frankel.
Maja at the time was associated with the Psychotechnisches Institute beim Berufsami der Stadt Breslau. Her own career as a researcher was largely redirected to a supportive role after the birth of two children.
After immigration to the United States, in Miami, in 1956 she was an early organizer of the Medical Faculty Wives Medical Student Loan Fund, established under auspices of the Medical Faculty Association of the University of Miami (of which her husband was a member, as research professor of biochemistry and medicine). Maja Slotta identified and secured Federal funds that matched donations nine to one, thereby facilitating the early growth of this fund. Providing funds and assistance to the medical students became the primary endeavor of the group. The project has since grown into a successful scholarship endowment. Maja resumed research after raising her children and was co-author of a 1961 study on The Impact of Airports on the Economy of Southeastern Florida, published by University of Miami Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
Maja Fraenkel's brother was the biochemist Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat (1910–1999).
References
- ^ Associated Press. "Birth control pioneer Karl Slota is dead". Gainesville Sun. Retrieved 2016-03-20.
- .
- ^ Hawgood, Babara J.,Karl Heinrich Slotta (1895–1987) Biochemist: Snakes, Pregnancy and Coffee, Toxicon, Volume 39, Issue 9, September 2001, Pages 1277–1282.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-20.
Sources
- Bettendorf, Professor Dr Gerhard (1995-01-01). "Slotta, Karl Heinrich". In Bettendorf, Professor Dr Gerhard (ed.). Zur Geschichte der Endokrinologie und Reproduktionsmedizin. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. pp. 535–538. ISBN 9783642791536.
- American Men & Women of Science. A biographical directory of today's leaders in physical, biological, and related sciences. 16th edition. Eight volumes. New York: R.R. Bowker, 1986. (AmMWSc 16)
- Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 15: September, 1986-August, 1988. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1988. (BioIn 15)
- M. E. Grenander Department of Special Collections & Archives University Libraries / University at Albany / State University of New York, German and Jewish Intellectual Emigre Collection. Slotta, Karl. Interview with Maja Slotta about her husband, Karl, Feb. 15, 1990 (Lee), 1 cass. Slotta, Karl. Interview with Sabine Crozier about her father, Karl Slotta, Jan. 14, 2008, 1 cass.
- New York Times. Obituary. July 21, 1987. Dr. Karl Slotta, a Developer of Birth Control Pills, Dies.
- Miami Herald. Obituary. July 19, 1987,4B Local. "Dr. Karl Slotta, Biochemistry Pioneer."
- Frobenius W., "Ludwig Fraenkel: 'spiritus rector' of the early progesterone research." Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 1999 Mar; 83(1):115-9.
- Frobenius W., "Ludwig Fraenkel, corpus luteum and discovery of progesterone." Zentralbl Gynakol. 1998; 120(7):317-23.
- Slotta, Karl Heinrich. Chemistry and Biochemistry of Snake Venoms. Springer-Verlag, 1955.
- Slotta, Karl Heinrich. Grundriss der modernen Arzneistoff-Synthese. J.W. Edwards, 1931.
- Proceedings: Student American Veterinary Medical Association Symposium, 1987 : Colorado State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science; p. civ.
- Kravetz, Nathan. Displaced German Scholars: A Guide to Academics in Peril in Nazi Germany During the 1930s. Borgo Press. 1993.
- Djerassi, Carl. The Pill, Pygmy Chimps, and Degas' Horse: The Autobiography of Carl Djerassi. p 89.
- Weinstein, Scott. Venomous Bites from Non-Venomous Snakes: A Critical Analysis of Risk and Management. p. xiii
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