Luis E. Miramontes | Scientists and Research

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Miramontes' advances in pharmaceuticals and petrochemistry are described, including his success in devising a chemical process to remove pollutants from engine exhaust."> <meta name="keywords" content="Luis Miramontes, Miramontes, oral contraceptive, birth control pill, hormone"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, shrink-to-fit=no"> <meta name="msvalidate.01" content="D8E20F39AD48052260032E56DE409970"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "http://schema.org/", "@type": "Article", "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://visionlearning.com/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e.-miramontes/232" }, "name": "Luis E. Miramontes", "headline": "Luis E. Miramontes: Chemist and inventor of oral contraceptives", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Warmflash, MD" }, "datePublished": "2016-05-01 00:35:25", "dateModified": "2017-02-12T08:30:00+05:00", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "/img/library/moduleImages/featured_image_232-23061210064522.jpeg", "width": 696, "height": 464 }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Visionlearning, Inc.", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "http://visionlearning.com/images/logo.png", "width": 278, "height": 60 } }, "description": "His name may not be familiar, but Mexican chemist Luis Miramontes was instrumental in a discovery that changed the course of human history: the birth control pill. This module traces the life and achievements of Miramontes, not only in the area of hormone synthesis, but in other areas of chemistry as well. Miramontes' advances in pharmaceuticals and petrochemistry are described, including his success in devising a chemical process to remove pollutants from engine exhaust.", "keywords": "Luis Miramontes, Miramontes, oral contraceptive, birth control pill, hormone", "inLanguage": { "@type": "Language", "name": "English", "alternateName": "en" }, "copyrightHolder": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Visionlearning, Inc." }, "copyrightYear": "2016"} </script> <meta property="og:url" content="https://visionlearning.com/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e.-miramontes/232"> <meta property="og:title" content="Luis E. Miramontes | Scientists and Research | Visionlearning" /> <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Visionlearning"> <meta property="og:description" content="His name may not be familiar, but Mexican chemist Luis Miramontes was instrumental in a discovery that changed the course of human history: the birth control pill. This module traces the life and achievements of Miramontes, not only in the area of hormone synthesis, but in other areas of chemistry as well. 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class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-environmental-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-environmental-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Environmental Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-environmental-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-environmental-science" role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-ecology" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-ecology" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Ecology </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-ecology" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-ecology" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/biodiversity-i/276">Biodiversity I</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/biodiversity-ii/281">Biodiversity II</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/ecosystem-services/279">Ecosystem Services</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/population-biology/287">Population Biology</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-earth-cycles" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-earth-cycles" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Earth Cycles </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-earth-cycles" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-earth-cycles" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/the-nitrogen-cycle/98">The Nitrogen Cycle</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/the-carbon-cycle/95">The Carbon Cycle</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/the-phosphorus-cycle/197">The Phosphorus Cycle</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-scientific-research" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-scientific-research" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Scientific Research </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-scientific-research" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-scientific-research" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/collaborative-research-in-the-arctic-towards-understanding-climate-change/183">Collaborative Research in the Arctic Towards Understanding Climate Change</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/environmental-science/61/atmospheric-chemistry-research-that-changed-global-policy/211">Atmospheric Chemistry Research that Changed Global Policy</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-general-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-general-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> General Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-general-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-general-science" role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-methods" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-methods" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Methods </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-methods" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-methods" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/general-science/3/the-scientific-method/45">The Scientific Method</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-measurement" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-measurement" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Measurement </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-measurement" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-measurement" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/general-science/3/the-metric-system/47">The Metric System</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-physical-properties" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-physical-properties" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Physical Properties </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-physical-properties" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-physical-properties" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/general-science/3/temperature/48">Temperature</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/general-science/3/density-and-buoyancy/37">Density and Buoyancy</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-math-in-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-math-in-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Math in Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-math-in-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-math-in-science" role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-equations" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-equations" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Equations </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-equations" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-equations" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/unit-conversion/144">Unit Conversion</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/linear-equations/194">Linear Equations</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/exponential-equations-i/206">Exponential Equations I</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/exponential-equations-ii/210">Exponential Equations II</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/scientific-notation/250">Scientific Notation</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/measurement/257">Measurement</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-statistics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-statistics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Statistics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-statistics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-statistics" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/introduction-to-descriptive-statistics/218">Introduction to Descriptive Statistics</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/introduction-to-inferential-statistics/224">Introduction to Inferential Statistics</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/statistical-techniques/239">Statistical Techniques</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-trigonometric-functions" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-trigonometric-functions" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Trigonometric Functions </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-trigonometric-functions" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-trigonometric-functions" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/math-in-science/62/wave-mathematics/131">Wave Mathematics</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-physics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-physics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Physics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-physics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-physics" role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-light-and-optics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-light-and-optics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Light and Optics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-light-and-optics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-light-and-optics" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/the-nature-of-light/132">The Nature of Light</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/electromagnetism-and-light/138">Electromagnetism and Light</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-mechanics" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-mechanics" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Mechanics </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-mechanics" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-mechanics" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/defining-energy/199">Defining Energy</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/waves-and-wave-motion/102">Waves and Wave Motion</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/gravity/118">Gravity</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/physics/24/thermodynamics-i/200">Thermodynamics I</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-process-of-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-process-of-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Process of Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-process-of-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-process-of-science" role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-introduction" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-introduction" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Introduction </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-introduction" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-introduction" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/the-process-of-science/176">The Process of Science</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-the-culture-of-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-the-culture-of-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> The Culture of Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-the-culture-of-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-the-culture-of-science" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/the-nature-of-scientific-knowledge/185">The Nature of Scientific Knowledge</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/scientists-and-the-scientific-community/172">Scientists and the Scientific Community</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/scientific-ethics/161">Scientific Ethics</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/scientific-institutions-and-societies/162">Scientific Institutions and Societies</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-ideas-in-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-ideas-in-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Ideas in Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-ideas-in-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-ideas-in-science" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/theories-hypotheses-and-laws/177">Theories, Hypotheses, and Laws</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/scientific-controversy/181">Scientific 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href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/comparison-in-scientific-research/152">Comparison in Scientific Research</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/modeling-in-scientific-research/153">Modeling in Scientific Research</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-data" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-data" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Data </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-data" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-data" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/data-analysis-and-interpretation/154">Data Analysis and Interpretation</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/uncertainty-error-and-confidence/157">Uncertainty, Error, and Confidence</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/statistics-in-science/155">Statistics in Science</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/using-graphs-and-visual-data-in-science/156">Using Graphs and Visual Data in Science</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-scientific-communication" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-scientific-communication" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Scientific Communication </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-scientific-communication" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-scientific-communication" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/understanding-scientific-journals-and-articles/158">Understanding Scientific Journals and Articles</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/utilizing-the-scientific-literature/173">Utilizing the Scientific Literature</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/peer-review-in-scientific-publishing/159">Peer Review in Scientific Publishing</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/process-of-science/49/the-how-and-why-of-scientific-meetings/186">The How and Why of Scientific Meetings</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-scientists-and-research" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-scientists-and-research" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Scientists and Research </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-scientists-and-research" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-scientists-and-research" role="region"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-scientific-research" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-scientific-research" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Scientific Research </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-scientific-research" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-scientific-research" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/collaborative-research-in-the-arctic-towards-understanding-climate-change/183">Collaborative Research in the Arctic Towards Understanding Climate Change</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/from-stable-chromosomes-to-jumping-genes/184">From Stable Chromosomes to Jumping Genes</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/an-elegant-experiment-to-test-the-process-of-dna-replication/187">An Elegant Experiment to Test the Process of DNA Replication</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/the-founding-of-neuroscience/233">The Founding of Neuroscience</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/tracking-endangered-jaguars-across-the-border/189">Tracking Endangered Jaguars across the Border</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/atmospheric-chemistry-research-that-changed-global-policy/211">Atmospheric Chemistry Research that Changed Global Policy</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/revolutionizing-medicine-with-monoclonal-antibodies/220">Revolutionizing Medicine with Monoclonal Antibodies</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/uncovering-the-mysteries-of-chronic-mountain-sickness/238">Uncovering the Mysteries of Chronic Mountain Sickness</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-profiles-in-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-profiles-in-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Profiles in Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-profiles-in-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-profiles-in-science" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li class="current">Luis E. Miramontes</li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/bernardo-houssay/237">Bernardo Houssay</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/craig-lee/256">Craig Lee</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/david-ho/241">David Ho</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/louis-tompkins-wright/244">Louis Tompkins Wright</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/carlos-j.-finlay/217">Carlos J. Finlay</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/cecilia-payne/290">Cecilia Payne</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/jazmin-scarlett/291">Jazmin Scarlett</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ramari-stewart/292">Ramari Stewart</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/johnson-cerda/300">Johnson Cerda</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ellen-ochoa/201">Ellen Ochoa</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ruth-benerito/205">Ruth Benerito</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/franklin-chang-díaz/219">Franklin Chang Díaz</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/percy-lavon-julian/221">Percy Lavon Julian</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-walter-alvarez/229">Luis Walter Alvarez</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/france-anne-dominic-córdova/230">France Anne-Dominic Córdova</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> <li>  <button class="button" data-toggle="dropdown">Scientists and Research </button> <div class="nav__dropdown box-shadow-1 padding-1"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary font-size-sm"> <div class="accordion accordion--secondary"> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-sub-button-scientific-research" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-sub-panel-scientific-research" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Scientific Research </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-sub-panel-scientific-research" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-sub-button-scientific-research" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/collaborative-research-in-the-arctic-towards-understanding-climate-change/183">Collaborative Research in the Arctic Towards Understanding Climate Change</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/from-stable-chromosomes-to-jumping-genes/184">From Stable Chromosomes to Jumping Genes</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/an-elegant-experiment-to-test-the-process-of-dna-replication/187">An Elegant Experiment to Test the Process of DNA Replication</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/the-founding-of-neuroscience/233">The Founding of Neuroscience</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/tracking-endangered-jaguars-across-the-border/189">Tracking Endangered Jaguars across the Border</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/atmospheric-chemistry-research-that-changed-global-policy/211">Atmospheric Chemistry Research that Changed Global Policy</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/revolutionizing-medicine-with-monoclonal-antibodies/220">Revolutionizing Medicine with Monoclonal Antibodies</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/uncovering-the-mysteries-of-chronic-mountain-sickness/238">Uncovering the Mysteries of Chronic Mountain Sickness</a></li> </ul> </div> <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-sub-button-profiles-in-science" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-sub-panel-profiles-in-science" aria-expanded="false"> <span class="accordion__button__label"> Profiles in Science </span> </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-sub-panel-profiles-in-science" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-sub-button-profiles-in-science" role="region"> <ul class="nav text-color-link"> <li class="current">Luis E. Miramontes</li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/bernardo-houssay/237">Bernardo Houssay</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/craig-lee/256">Craig Lee</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/david-ho/241">David Ho</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/louis-tompkins-wright/244">Louis Tompkins Wright</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/carlos-j.-finlay/217">Carlos J. Finlay</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/cecilia-payne/290">Cecilia Payne</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/jazmin-scarlett/291">Jazmin Scarlett</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ramari-stewart/292">Ramari Stewart</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/johnson-cerda/300">Johnson Cerda</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ellen-ochoa/201">Ellen Ochoa</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/ruth-benerito/205">Ruth Benerito</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/franklin-chang-díaz/219">Franklin Chang Díaz</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/percy-lavon-julian/221">Percy Lavon Julian</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-walter-alvarez/229">Luis Walter Alvarez</a></li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/france-anne-dominic-córdova/230">France Anne-Dominic Córdova</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </li> </ul> </nav>  <div id="theTop"></div> <main id="skip-header-content"> <div class="margin-bottom-5"> <article class="container wide module"> <header class="grid grid--sidebar-right module__header"> <div class="module__header__title"> <span class="subcategory"> <strong><em>Profiles in Science</em></strong> </span> <h1>Luis E. Miramontes: <sub><em>Chemist and inventor of oral contraceptives</em></sub></h1> <p class="byline">by David Warmflash, MD</p> <nav class="module__header__tabs"> <ul class="tabs-nav tabs-nav--horizontal library"> <li> <a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e-miramontes/232/reading" aria-current="page" >Reading</a> </li> <li> <a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e-miramontes/232/quiz">Quiz</a> </li> <li> <a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e-miramontes/232/resources">Teach with this</a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </header> <hr class="divider"/>   <div class="grid grid--sidebar-right grid--divider"> <div class="order-2 order-1--lg module__main"> <div class="narrow margin-x-auto margin-y-5"> <div class="accordion margin-bottom-5">  <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-key-concepts" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-key-concepts" aria-expanded="true" tabindex="0"> Did you know? </button> <div class="accordion__panel shown show" id="acc-panel-key-concepts" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-key-concepts" role="region"> <div class="accordion__panel__content"> <p>Did you know that one of the all-time top inventions of the last 2,000 years is considered to be the birth control pill? But before oral contraceptives were possible, it would be necessary to create a synthetic form of a female hormone. The compound that Mexican chemist Luis Miramontes created in a lab in 1951 was eight times more powerful than natural progesterone, leading to the first form of birth control that could be taken in pill form.</p> </div> </div>  <button class="accordion__button" id="acc-button-terms-you-should-know" data-accordion="button" aria-controls="acc-panel-terms-you-should-know" aria-expanded="false" tabindex="0"> Terms you should know </button> <div class="accordion__panel" id="acc-panel-terms-you-should-know" data-accordion="panel" aria-labelledby="acc-button-terms-you-should-know" role="region" aria-hidden="true"> <div class="accordion__panel__content"> <dl> <dt>contraceptive </dt> <dd> a method of intentionally preventing pregnancy; birth control </dd> <dt>exhaust </dt> <dd> byproducts of the combustion process that are emitted from the tailpipe of a car and released into the atmosphere </dd> <dt><a href="/en/glossary/view/hormone">hormone </a></dt> <dd> a chemical substance produced by the body that controls processes such as growth and reproduction</dd> </dl> </div> </div> </div> <hr class="border-color-dark" /> <section> <div class="container narrow"> <p>It’s close to impossible to think of all of the inventions that have changed the course of human history over time, much less rate their level of influence. But various groups of scientists have attempted to do this on several occasions in recent years. Nobel Prize winners from a range of scientific fields, historians, and other experts have been questioned and polled. They’ve been asked to name the most important inventions in human history, especially during the last 2,000 years. When this happens, a handful of the same inventions are consistently named, and the list usually includes one that is so easy to take for granted: the contraceptive pill.</p> <p>“The pill” wasn’t the first method of birth control, but it was surprisingly effective and the first medication approved for long-term use in healthy people. It changed society by allowing women to plan their families and keep families smaller. It also helped to liberate women and provided hope that the world’s growing population might level off at some point before it became unmanageable. In short, oral contraception was a major discovery. Thus, as early as 1964, the United States Department of Patents listed the inventor of one of the main ingredients of the pill alongside names like Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Alexander Bell, and <mark class="term" data-term="Louis Pasteur" data-term-def="Químico y biólogo francés, nacido en Dole, Francia (1822-1895). Pasteur fundo la ciencia de microbiología y comprobó que microorganismos causan la&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/Pasteur%2C+Louis/4468">Louis Pasteur</mark> in the Inventors Hall of Fame. </p><p>The inventor: Luis Miramontes. And he was just 26 years old in 1951 when he synthesized norethisterone, the chemical that allowed the oral contraceptive pill to do its job.</p> <p><section id="toc_1" class=""> <h2>A senior thesis becomes a world-famous invention</h2></p> <p>Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas (hereafter, Miramontes) was born on March 16, 1925. His father, Don Candelario Miramontes Briseño, and his mother, Doña Esther Cardenas Aréchiga, were living in Tepic, in the state of Nayarit, Mexico when Miramontes was born. Other than how he appeared in a few family photographs, virtually nothing is publically known concerning Miramontes’ early life. By the time he was a teenager, however, he was enrolled at the Preparatory National School of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). He remained at UNAM for his undergraduate work in chemistry and chemical engineering from 1945 to 1949. In 1948, he began graduate courses although he was still required to complete an undergraduate thesis project. The opportunity to do such a thesis became available in 1950 and not in the usual way. </p> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox="" data-lightbox-src="/img/library/large_images/image_9684.jpg"> <img src="/img/library/modules/mid232/Image/VLObject-9684-160430110403.jpg" alt="Figure 1: Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas in the lab." /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Figure 1</strong>: Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas in the lab.</p> <span class="credit">image ©UNAM/Miramontes-Vidal family</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>Rather than being matched with a professor in his own department, an emerging Mexico City chemical company called Syntex actually recruited Miramontes to do his thesis projects in one of their own labs. Despite his youth and student status, Miramontes demonstrated unusual talent in chemical laboratory techniques. Syntex recognized this, and the recruitment to do his thesis at the company was also recruitment for a job. Initially, he did not know precisely what he would be working on, but he knew that the company focused on synthesizing <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone/10183">hormones</mark>. He also knew that he would be working with two seasoned chemists: Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz. It sounded like an unprecedented opportunity for a student who had yet to complete an undergraduate degree, so he accepted the offer.</p><p>As a new researcher at Syntex, the 25 year-old Miramontes began working with Djerassi and Rosenkranz on a project to develop a <mark class="term" data-term="synthetic" data-term-def="Made by humans rather than found in nature; created through a chemical process; artificial." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthetic/8748">synthetic</mark> form of the female <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone/10183">hormone</mark> progesterone. Already by that time, progesterone was being used as a contraceptive, but Djerassi and Rosenkranz wanted to make it work better, and Mexico was the place to do it. Today, nearly all <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;">hormones</mark> used in medicine are produced with genetic engineering of microorganisms, which can be done in any part of the world. In the 1950s, however, scientists knew that the only way to make synthetic progesterone would be to alter natural progesterone through some kind of elaborate chemical <mark class="term" data-term="process" data-term-def="Method, procedure; series of actions or steps." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/process/8256">process</mark>. To do that would require natural progesterone as a starting material, what chemists call a substrate. The easiest and cheapest way to get progesterone at the time was from a Mexican breed of yam, and this is why biochemical hormone researchers, including Djerassi and Rosenkranz, were gravitating to Mexico. </p><p>Creating a <mark class="term" data-term="synthetic" data-term-def="Made by humans rather than found in nature; created through a chemical process; artificial." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthetic/8748">synthetic</mark> kind of progesterone was an ambitious goal because it required numerous steps in chemical <mark class="term" data-term="synthesis" data-term-def="The production of a chemical compound by combining simpler compounds or elements." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthesis/8756">synthesis</mark>. One section of progesterone, a complex <mark class="term" data-term="organic" data-term-def="Originating from a living organism; a compound that contains hydrocarbons." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/organic/8530">organic</mark> molecule, had to be altered in a certain way (certain atoms had to be moved around, or replaced with atoms of other chemical elements), then that chemical product itself had to be altered, then altered again, and again to make a new molecule with the desired chemical properties.</p><p>On October 15, 1951, under the direction of Djerassi and Rosenkranz, Miramontes worked out the final step in the <mark class="term" data-term="process" data-term-def="Method, procedure; series of actions or steps." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/process/8256">process</mark> to create a <mark class="term" data-term="synthetic" data-term-def="Made by humans rather than found in nature; created through a chemical process; artificial." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthetic/8748">synthetic</mark> progestin (a progesterone-like hormone). The synthetic progestin was called 19-nor-17α- ethinyl testosterone – or “norethindrone” for short (Figure 2). The expected application of norethindrone was contraception to replace natural progesterone. <mark class="term" data-term="experiment" data-term-def="A test or trial carried out under controlled conditions so that specific actions can be performed and the results can be observed." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/experiment/8292">Experiments</mark> with laboratory animals and then humans showed norethindrone to be eight times more potent than natural progesterone, and that was not the only advantage. Unlike natural progesterone, which had to be injected, norethindrone retained its potency when taken orally. This meant that hormonal contraception could be made much more convenient and attractive to women.</p> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox="" data-lightbox-src="/img/library/large_images/image_9685.png"> <img src="/img/library/modules/mid232/Image/VLObject-9685-160430110415.png" alt="Figure 2: The chemical structure of norethindrone, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone." /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Figure 2</strong>: The chemical structure of norethindrone, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone.</p> <span class="credit">image ©Marina Vladivostok</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>For that to happen, of course, norethindrone would have to be approved by government health agencies around the globe, but that would happen in time. Soon, norethindrone became a prime component of the first oral contraceptive pills, and even today it is used in many contraceptive formulations. <mark class="term" data-term="synthesis" data-term-def="The production of a chemical compound by combining simpler compounds or elements." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthesis/8756">Synthesis</mark> of norethindrone depended heavily on the segments of the chemical <mark class="term" data-term="process" data-term-def="Method, procedure; series of actions or steps." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/process/8256">process</mark> that Miramontes conducted. Consequently, the thesis project earned the student his undergraduate degree, and five years later something else: a US <mark class="term" data-term="patent" data-term-def="A document issued by the government that grants an inventor the sole right to his or her invention for a set&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/patent/8750">patent</mark>. On May 1, 1956, Miramontes was named along with the two senior chemists on US patent 2,744,122 for “oral contraceptives.” </p> <div class="comprehension-checkpoint margin-y-4"> <h6 class="comprehension-checkpoint__header"> <span> <span class="icon icon-question"></span> </span> Comprehension Checkpoint </h6> <form class="" name="cc9665"> <div class="form-entry"> <div class="form-entry__field"> <span class="form-entry__field__label">Before the research of Miramontes, the hormone progesterone had not been used in contraceptives.</span> <div class="form-entry__option"> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="incorrect"> <label> <input id="q1-9665-0-option-a" name="quiz-option-9665" type="radio" value="true" > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">a.</span> true </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-9665-0"> <strong>Incorrect.</strong> </span> </div> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="correct"> <label> <input id="q1-9665-1-option-b" name="quiz-option-9665" type="radio" value="false" > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">b.</span> false </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-9665-1"> <strong>Correct!</strong> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </section> <section id="toc_2"> <h2>A chemical renaissance man working for the environment</h2><p>Despite being wrapped up with refining the norethindrone <mark class="term" data-term="synthesis" data-term-def="The production of a chemical compound by combining simpler compounds or elements." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthesis/8756">synthesis</mark> technique and writing numerous scientific papers about it in the early 1950s, Miramontes did not allow the decade to go by without completing graduate studies at UNAM. He completed his doctoral <mark class="term" data-term="research" data-term-def="A study or an investigation." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/research/8257">research</mark> primarily in 1954-1956, although he had begun it in 1948, overlapping with the end of his undergraduate studies. Given his work at Syntex, he was a graduate student with an unusual amount of experience in <mark class="term" data-term="synthetic" data-term-def="Made by humans rather than found in nature; created through a chemical process; artificial." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthetic/8748">synthetic</mark> chemistry, and after obtaining his doctorate he was appointed to the faculty. Around this time, he joined other researchers to found UNAM’s Institute of Chemistry.</p><p>He also continued to work in industry and involved himself in a diversity of chemical topics, from pharmaceuticals to <mark class="term" data-term="organic" data-term-def="Originating from a living organism; a compound that contains hydrocarbons." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/organic/8530">organic</mark> chemistry, chemistry of the <mark class="term" data-term="atmosphere" data-term-def="The collective mass of gases that surrounds the Earth or another planet." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/atmosphere/8529">atmosphere</mark>, and petrochemistry. Research in the latter field eventually led him to become Deputy Director of Research of the Mexican Institute of Petroleum. Additionally, his <mark class="term" data-term="research" data-term-def="A study or an investigation." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/research/8257">research</mark> in petroleum chemistry and atmospheric chemistry started to dovetail in the early 1970s in connection with automobile technology. This was an era when Americans were changing how they thought about cars.</p><p>For most of the 20th century, the science revolving around engines and gasoline was completely focused on bolstering performance, giving consumers more power and speed. With only a few exceptions, people were not concerned about what this was doing to the air. In 1965, however, Clair Patterson, a Cal Tech geochemist famous for using lead in special crystals from a meteorite to determine the precise age of the Earth, published a bombshell: Lead from gasoline was accumulating in the <mark class="term" data-term="environment" data-term-def="The conditions that surround and affect an organism." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/environment/8270">environment</mark> rapidly at extremely dangerous levels. The source of gasoline lead was a chemical called tetraethyl lead that was added to the fuel as an “anti-knock” agent. For the first time, chemists and engineers working in, and in connection with, the auto industry were thinking about how to improve efficiency and remove toxins from car exhaust. </p><p>Given his involvement in both petrochemistry and atmospheric <mark class="term" data-term="research" data-term-def="A study or an investigation." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/research/8257">research</mark>, Miramontes naturally gravitated to the realm of car exhaust engineering. Prohibitions against leaded gasoline would not come to fruition until the 1980s, but in the years following Patterson’s discovery, chemists like Miramontes were thinking of how they might make leaded gasoline safer by removing lead and other toxins in car exhaust systems (see Figure 3 for information on the relationship between lead levels in gasoline and in humans). Lists of <mark class="term" data-term="patent" data-term-def="A document issued by the government that grants an inventor the sole right to his or her invention for a set&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/patent/8750">patents</mark> in the early 1970s show that researchers were approaching the problem from both <mark class="term" data-term="mechanical" data-term-def="Involving physical force or motion." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/mechanical/8516">mechanical</mark> and chemical perspectives. Miramontes’ perspective, of course, was chemistry, so he developed a chemical <mark class="term" data-term="process" data-term-def="Method, procedure; series of actions or steps." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/process/8256">process</mark> for converting the exhaust gases into harmless products. For this, he filed a patent in 1972 (published 1974).</p><p>Leaded gasoline was eventually banned in the United States and by the early 2000s in nearly all other countries. Phase-out has taken many years across the planet, but as of 2015 leaded remained legal only in Yemen, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and North Korea, and with little or any actually being sold in the latter two countries. In the course of that time, catalytic converters came into use to improve engine efficiency, but the earliest catalytic converters could not operate with leaded gas. Thus, Miramontes sought to develop a new chemical <mark class="term" data-term="process" data-term-def="Method, procedure; series of actions or steps." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/process/8256">process</mark> enabling a catalytic converter that could function with leaded gas. He developed one using ceramic with gamma alumina, impregnated with chromium, copper, and nickel. This earned him yet another <mark class="term" data-term="patent" data-term-def="A document issued by the government that grants an inventor the sole right to his or her invention for a set&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/patent/8750">patent</mark> in 1996.</p> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox="" data-lightbox-src="/img/library/large_images/image_9686.jpg"> <img src="/img/library/modules/mid232/Image/VLObject-9686-160430110458.jpg" alt="Figure 3: Parallel decreases in blood lead values and amounts of lead consumed in gasoline between 1976 and 1980 (data from U.S. EPA, 1986). From Bridbord, K. and Hanson, D. (2009). A personal perspective on the initial federal health-based regulation to remove lead from gasoline. Environ. Health Perspect. 117(8):1195–1201." /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Figure 3</strong>: Parallel decreases in blood lead values and amounts of lead consumed in gasoline between 1976 and 1980 (data from U.S. EPA, 1986). From Bridbord, K. and Hanson, D. (2009). A personal perspective on the initial federal health-based regulation to remove lead from gasoline. <em>Environ. Health Perspect. 117</em>(8):1195–1201.</p> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="comprehension-checkpoint margin-y-4"> <h6 class="comprehension-checkpoint__header"> <span> <span class="icon icon-question"></span> </span> Comprehension Checkpoint </h6> <form class="" name="cc9672"> <div class="form-entry"> <div class="form-entry__field"> <span class="form-entry__field__label">Miramontes applied his research in atmospheric and petroleum chemistry to the field of</span> <div class="form-entry__option"> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="correct"> <label> <input id="q1-9672-0-option-a" name="quiz-option-9672" type="radio" value="automotive technology." > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">a.</span> automotive technology. </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-9672-0"> <strong>Correct!</strong> </span> </div> <div class="form-entry__option__radio" data-answer="incorrect"> <label> <input id="q1-9672-1-option-b" name="quiz-option-9672" type="radio" value="pharmaceuticals." > <span class="option__label"> <span class="screen-reader-only">b.</span> pharmaceuticals. </span> </label> <span class="quiz__response" id="response-9672-1"> <strong>Incorrect.</strong> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </form> </div> </section> <section id="toc_3"> <h2>The pill goes on the market</h2><p>While Miramontes was becoming a kind of Renaissance man in the various fields of chemistry, things were happening with norethindrone and the contraceptive pill that it made possible. In 1962 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved norethindrone for contraceptive use. Within two years, the <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone/10183">hormone</mark> could boost the major share of the birth control pill market in the US. It was at that time that US Department of Patents named the contraceptive pill as one of the 40 most important inventions since the year 1794.</p><p>The reason why norethindrone and the researchers who created it enjoyed such recognition so quickly after FDA approval has a lot to do with the fact that it was part of an “oral contraceptive.” When Miramontes went to work for Syntex, the use of <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone/10183">hormones</mark> for contraception was not new. As noted earlier, however, the <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;">hormones</mark> had to be injected. The novelty of norethindrone was that it, and another class of female hormones called estrogens, could be taken in oral form. That was a lot more convenient than having contraceptive hormones administered at the doctor’s office. Much better, the pill could go home with each patient, it was small and easy to use, and, importantly, if used correctly, the effectiveness proved to be almost 100 percent (Figure 4). </p> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox="" data-lightbox-src="/img/library/large_images/image_9688.jpg"> <img src="/img/library/modules/mid232/Image/VLObject-9688-160501120531.jpg" alt="Figure 4: An example of an oral contraceptive dispenser." /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Figure 4</strong>: An example of an oral contraceptive dispenser.</p> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>As his career progressed throughout multiple areas of medicine, Miramontes continued to refine and reshape variations on norethindrone, as well as other clinically useful <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone/10183">hormones</mark>. By the early 1970s, this earned him more than a dozen <mark class="term" data-term="patent" data-term-def="A document issued by the government that grants an inventor the sole right to his or her invention for a set&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/patent/8750">patents</mark>, and from the 1980s until his death in 2004 and beyond he has been recognized with various awards for contributions to humanity. For instance, in 1985 he was granted the "Estado de México" medal for sciences and arts. That same year, he also was honored by the government of the state of Nayarit (his birth state) and recognized academically by Technological Institute of Tepic (his birth city). A year later, he was awarded Mexico’s National Prize in Chemistry. In 1992, a hospital in Tepic was renamed as "Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cardenas Hospital," and in 1994 he won Nayarit’s "Amado Nervo" Medal.</p><p>At the turn of the 21st century, a group Nobel Laureates named oral contraceptives as one of the most important inventions of the last 2,000 years. Soon after that, on the 50th anniversary of norethindrone, Miramontes and Rosenkranz were given tributes by UNAM and Mexico’s Ministry of Health (Figure 5). In 2004, a committee of the United Kingdom’s Engineering and Technology Board chose Miramontes’ norethindrone as the 20th most important invention of all time. A year later, the Mexican Academy of Sciences called the <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone/10183">hormone</mark> the number one contribution to science.</p> <div class="figure"> <figure> <button class="lightbox-button lightbox-button--icon" data-lightbox="" data-lightbox-src="/img/library/large_images/image_9687.jpg"> <img src="/img/library/modules/mid232/Image/VLObject-9687-160501120504.jpg" alt="Figure 5: Miramontes and George Rosenkranz reunited in 2001." /> </button> <figcaption> <p><strong>Figure 5</strong>: Miramontes and George Rosenkranz reunited in 2001.</p> <span class="credit">image ©UNAM/Miramontes-Vidal family</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <p>The list of honors goes on, though probably Miramontes will be remembered best for norethindrone, which today has a variety of medical uses. In contraceptive applications, it is used in what is commonly called the “mini-pill,” meaning an oral contraceptive that does not contain estrogen (this is in contrast to standard birth control pills which today use estrogen-like agents in combination with progestins other than norethindrone). From the 1970s through the 1990s, norethindrone was put into use for clinical applications beyond contraception. Thus, today it is given for endometrial hyperplasia, endometriosis, excessive menstrual bleeding, hypogonadism (inadequate ovaries), and acne.</p><p>Millions of women around the world have benefited from this one <mark class="term" data-term="synthetic" data-term-def="Made by humans rather than found in nature; created through a chemical process; artificial." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/synthetic/8748">synthetic</mark> <mark class="term" data-term="hormone" data-term-def="A chemical compound that is secreted from a gland directly into the blood that acts as a chemical messenger to tissues&hellip;" data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/hormone/10183">hormone</mark>. Considering this, together with Miramontes’ work on atmospheric chemistry and detoxification of engine exhaust, it should be no surprise that scientists, historians, and other thinkers representing multiple fields have come to a similar conclusion: Miramontes has been one of science’s greatest. Certainly, without his <mark class="term" data-term="research" data-term-def="A study or an investigation." data-term-url="/es/glossary/view/research/8257">research</mark>, the last few decades would have been immeasurably different, and millions have Miramontes to thank for his contributions to human health.</p> </div> </section> <hr class="border-color-dark" /> <footer class="module__footer"> <p class="citation"> <em> David Warmflash, MD “Luis E. Miramontes” Visionlearning Vol. SCIRE-2 (6), 2016. </em> </p>  <div class="title-list" id="refs" name="refs"> <p class="h6 title-list__title"> References </p> <ul class="title-list__list"> <li><p></li> <li>Explorando Mexico. (n.d.). <em>Luis E. Miramontes, Prolific Mexican Chemist</em>. Retrieved from</li> <li>http://www.explorandomexico.com/about-mexico/5/129/</li> <li>McFadden, R.D. (2015). Carl Djerassi, 91, a Creator of the Birth Control Pill, Dies. <em>New York Times</em>. Retrieved from</li> <li>http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/01/us/carl-djerassi-dies-at-91-forever-altered-reproductive-practices-as-a-creator-of-the-pill.html?_r=0</li> <li>Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona. (2013, March 12). <em>The History of the Birth Control Pill, Part 3: From Injection to Ingestion</em>. Retrieved from http://advocatesaz.org/tag/luis-ernesto-miramontes/</li> <li>Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas archive. Retrieved from</li> <li>http://scifunam.fisica.unam.mx/mir/LEMC/luis_miramontes_e.html</li> </ul> </div> </footer> </div>   </div>  <div class="order-1 order-2--lg module__tools"> <div class="narrow margin-x-auto position-sticky-top font-size-md"> <div class="padding-2 border-radius box-shadow-1--lg"> <div class="tabs" role="tablist"> <nav> <button class="button button--icon-label" id="tab-button-in-this-module" aria-label="Table of Contents" aria-controls="tab-panel-module__tools" aria-selected="true" role="tab"> <span class="icon icon-list" aria-hidden="true"></span> <span class="button__text">Contents</span> </button> <button class="button button--icon-label" id="tab-button-toggle-terms" aria-controls="tab-panel-toggle-terms" aria-selected="false" role="tab"> <span class="icon icon-glossary-highlight"></span> <span class="button__text">Glossary Terms</span> </button> </nav> <hr class="divider" /> <div class="tabs__panel shown" id="tab-panel-module__tools" aria-labelledby="tab-button-module__tools" role="tabpanel"> <p class="font-weight-bold margin-bottom-1"> Table of Contents </p> <div class="table-of-contents" id="module-toc"> <ul> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e.-miramontes/232#toc_1">A senior thesis becomes a world-famous invention</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e.-miramontes/232#toc_2">A chemical renaissance man working for the environment</a> </li> <li><a href="/en/library/scientists-and-research/58/luis-e.-miramontes/232#toc_3">The pill goes on the market</a> </li> </ul> </div> </div>   <div class="tabs__panel" id="tab-panel-toggle-terms" aria-labelledby="tab-button-toggle-terms" role="tabpanel"> <div class="reading-toggle"> <div class="reading-toggle__switch"> <div class="form-entry__option__switch"> <label> <input type="checkbox" name="termsToggleSwitch" id="terms-toggle-switch" /> <span class="switch__slider"></span> <span class="option__label text-decoration-none font-size-md"> Highlight Glossary Terms </span> </label> </div> </div> <div class="reading-toggle__help"> <p> <em> Activate glossary term highlighting to easily identify key terms within the module. 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Luis E. Miramontes | Scientists and Research | Visionlearning