Sheldon Segal
Encyclopedia
Sheldon Jerome Segal was an American
embryologist and biochemist
who spent his entire career working on contraception
and made major innovations in the field of long-lasting alternatives, including in the creation of Norplant
, the first major development advance in birth control since the birth control pill.
, New York
, where he attended Erasmus Hall High School
. He enlisted in the United States Navy
during World War II when he was 16-years old. He was assigned to a troop transport that was to have been sent for the land invasion of Japan. When the war ended with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki
, obviating the need for naval landings, he was sent to participate in nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll
. He left the Navy with the rank of lieutenant (junior grade). After completing his military service, Segal earned a bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College
in 1947 and was awarded his doctorate degree from the University of Iowa
in 1947 in biochemistry and embryology.
hired him in 1956 as assistant medical director for its biomedical research laboratories and he was named as director in 1963. Following a visit to India
in the 1960s in which he helped establish a model for women's clinics for family planning that would offer contraceptives and prenatal care, Segal came to the conclusion that his career goal should be "to develop practical advances for women's health".
He established the International Committee for Contraception Research in 1970 to help provide information regarding the development new contraceptives worldwide. He joined the Rockefeller Foundation
in 1978 as the organization's first director of the division of population sciences. He was rehired by the Population Council in 1991, where he developed intrauterine device
s based on copper and vaginal ring
s.
Segal's best-known work was the creation of Norplant
, introduced in 1991 as a contraceptive device that could be inserted under the skin, with its silicone rods releasing progestin
for as long as five years. While it offered the benefit of never having to remember to take a pill, side effects included bleeding, hair loss and weight gain. After cases occurred where judges ordered the implant of the device to prevent pregnancy and in the wake of editorials advocating its use "as a way of reducing the welfare burden resulting from high fertility among the underclass", Segal wrote a strongly worded letter to The New York Times
in January 1991, indicating that he was "totally and unalterably opposed to the use of Norplant for any coercive or involuntary purpose" and would lead the opposition to use "Norplant for coercive sterilization or birth control". Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories withdrew the product in 2002 after court cases that argued that a number of major side effects had not been properly disclosed.
In 2003, his intrauterine device Mirena, which uses a progestin to thicken cervical mucus to prevent pregnancy was introduced
by Berlex Laboratories
.
Over the years, he helped convince that the Chinese government to use more flexible copper-based IUDs, which led to a reduction in the number of abortions necessitated by the use of one-size-fits all steel IUDs.
He was the author of more than 300 works, including the 1999 book Is Menstruation Obsolete? which he co-wrote with Elsimar M. Coutinho
, which argued that there is no health benefit from monthly menstruation. The book stated that early women would menstruate very infrequently because of frequent pregnancies, child nursing and physical demands and that the side effects of the "incessant ovulation" that modern women experience could include anemia
and endometriosis
.
A resident of Woods Hole, Massachusetts
, Segal died at his home there at age 83 on October 17, 2009, because of congestive heart failure
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
embryologist and biochemist
Biochemist
Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. Typical biochemists study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. The prefix of "bio" in "biochemist" can be understood as a fusion of "biological chemist."-Role:...
who spent his entire career working on contraception
Contraception
Contraception is the prevention of the fusion of gametes during or after sexual activity. The term contraception is a contraction of contra, which means against, and the word conception, meaning fertilization...
and made major innovations in the field of long-lasting alternatives, including in the creation of Norplant
Norplant
Norplant is a form of birth control developed by the Population Council that was first approved in 1983 in Finland, where it was manufactured by Leiras Oy Pharmaceuticals...
, the first major development advance in birth control since the birth control pill.
Early life and education
Segal was born on March 15, 1926, in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he attended Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall High School
Erasmus Hall Campus High School is a four-year public high school in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States operated by the New York City Department of Education....
. He enlisted in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II when he was 16-years old. He was assigned to a troop transport that was to have been sent for the land invasion of Japan. When the war ended with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
, obviating the need for naval landings, he was sent to participate in nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
. He left the Navy with the rank of lieutenant (junior grade). After completing his military service, Segal earned a bachelor's degree at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1947 and was awarded his doctorate degree from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1947 in biochemistry and embryology.
Contraception career
The Population CouncilPopulation Council
The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The Council conducts biomedical, social science, and public health research and helps build research capacities in developing countries. One-third of its research relates to HIV and AIDS; its other major program...
hired him in 1956 as assistant medical director for its biomedical research laboratories and he was named as director in 1963. Following a visit to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in the 1960s in which he helped establish a model for women's clinics for family planning that would offer contraceptives and prenatal care, Segal came to the conclusion that his career goal should be "to develop practical advances for women's health".
He established the International Committee for Contraception Research in 1970 to help provide information regarding the development new contraceptives worldwide. He joined the Rockefeller Foundation
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a prominent philanthropic organization and private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The preeminent institution established by the six-generation Rockefeller family, it was founded by John D. Rockefeller , along with his son John D. Rockefeller, Jr...
in 1978 as the organization's first director of the division of population sciences. He was rehired by the Population Council in 1991, where he developed intrauterine device
Intrauterine device
A copper IUD is a type of intrauterine device. Most IUDs have a plastic T- or U-shaped frame which is wrapped in copper wire, with the exception of Gynefix, which is a plastic string with several copper beads, affixed to the fundus of the uterus...
s based on copper and vaginal ring
Vaginal ring
Vaginal rings are polymeric drug delivery devices designed to provide controlled release of drugs for intravaginal administration over extended periods of time. The ring is inserted into the vagina and provides contraception protection...
s.
Segal's best-known work was the creation of Norplant
Norplant
Norplant is a form of birth control developed by the Population Council that was first approved in 1983 in Finland, where it was manufactured by Leiras Oy Pharmaceuticals...
, introduced in 1991 as a contraceptive device that could be inserted under the skin, with its silicone rods releasing progestin
Progestin
A progestin is a synthetic progestogen that has progestinic effects similar to progesterone. The two most common uses of progestins are for hormonal contraception , and to prevent endometrial hyperplasia from unopposed estrogen in hormone replacement therapy...
for as long as five years. While it offered the benefit of never having to remember to take a pill, side effects included bleeding, hair loss and weight gain. After cases occurred where judges ordered the implant of the device to prevent pregnancy and in the wake of editorials advocating its use "as a way of reducing the welfare burden resulting from high fertility among the underclass", Segal wrote a strongly worded letter to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in January 1991, indicating that he was "totally and unalterably opposed to the use of Norplant for any coercive or involuntary purpose" and would lead the opposition to use "Norplant for coercive sterilization or birth control". Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories withdrew the product in 2002 after court cases that argued that a number of major side effects had not been properly disclosed.
In 2003, his intrauterine device Mirena, which uses a progestin to thicken cervical mucus to prevent pregnancy was introduced
by Berlex Laboratories
Berlex Laboratories
- Introduction :Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals is a research-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Montville, New Jersey with operations in Wayne, New Jersey; Bothell, Washington; Seattle, Washington; and Richmond, California. It is a subsidiary of Bayer, headquartered in Leverkusen,...
.
Over the years, he helped convince that the Chinese government to use more flexible copper-based IUDs, which led to a reduction in the number of abortions necessitated by the use of one-size-fits all steel IUDs.
He was the author of more than 300 works, including the 1999 book Is Menstruation Obsolete? which he co-wrote with Elsimar M. Coutinho
Elsimar M. Coutinho
Elsimar Metzker Coutinho is a scientist of Luso-Austrian descent, professor, gynecologist and television personality, and The Prince of Itapoan -Biography:...
, which argued that there is no health benefit from monthly menstruation. The book stated that early women would menstruate very infrequently because of frequent pregnancies, child nursing and physical demands and that the side effects of the "incessant ovulation" that modern women experience could include anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
and endometriosis
Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a gynecological medical condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus appear and flourish outside the uterine cavity, most commonly on the ovaries. The uterine cavity is lined by endometrial cells, which are under the influence of female hormones...
.
Personal life and death
He was married to novelist Harriet Feinberg. The couple had three daughters.A resident of Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands...
, Segal died at his home there at age 83 on October 17, 2009, because of congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
.