Chemist Karl Djerassi - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 2005

This brand is a world first: the face in the background consists of microscopic chemical formulas of the steroid (Artscreen from enantiomers of the steroid). The biochemist, biophysicist, writer and emeritus professor of chemistry at Stanford University was born on October 29, 1923 in Vienna, the son of an Austro-Bulgarian medical couple in Vienna. His Jewish background forced him to emigrate to the United States in 1938. Today, Djerassi describes himself as a fundamentalist agnostic and cosmopolitan residing in London and San Francisco. In 1945 he received his doctorate in organic chemistry in Wisconsin. In 1951, he succeeded in the synthesis of the pregnancy hormone progestin, that substance, which later went down in history as the active ingredient of the first contraceptive pill. He has been awarded the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology for the development of new methods of insect control and has been honored with numerous scientific awards and no fewer than 19 honorary doctorates , Since the 1980s, Djerassi has primarily been a writer, describing the human aspect of science and the personal conflicts that scientists face. His literary works of the invented by him genre "science-in-fiction" include short stories and novels, in recent years, he is primarily concerned with stage works of the genre "science-in-theater". In 1982 he founded the "Djerassi Resident Artist Program" foundation in California, which awards work scholarships in the form of stays and studio spaces for artists in the fields of fine arts, literature, choreography, performing arts and music and has since considered over 1300 artists. Also famous is the Paul Klee collection of the art lover Djerassi.