Robert Benjamin Greenblatt (1906-1987) was a Canadian physician and medical researcher specializing in endocrinology who spent almost all of his career at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG); where he pioneered endocrinology as an independent discipline. [1] He was especially known for his work in the development of the sequential oral contraceptive pill and the oral fertility pill. [2]
Born in 1906 in Montreal, Canada, Greenblatt attended McGill University in Montreal, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1928 and his Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery degrees in 1932. In 1935, after completing his internship, he joined MCG as a research fellow in pathology and resident in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1937, he was appointed assistant professor of pathology and gynecology, and two years later, he was named professor of experimental medicine. Greenblatt went on to pioneer endocrinology as an independent discipline.
In his early years at MCG Greenblatt worked with Edgar Pund on the pathology and therapy of granuloma inguinale, a widely endemic venereal disease. In 1943 he volunteered for military service and served as a Commander and Senior Medical Officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. His first assignment was to quell a venereal disease epidemic spreading among sailors in Savannah, Ga. He helped develop mass production of penicillin for battlefield use; commanded a triage unit on the Okinawa beachhead for wounded Marines; and was among the first scientists to inspect the medical effects of the atomic bomb in Nagasaki. Commander Greenblatt was honorably discharged in 1945.
He returned to MCG after World War II and from 1946 to 1974 he served as professor and chairman of the institution's Department of Endocrinology, the first academic department of its kind in the country.
Greenblatt started his clinical work in reproductive endocrinology, the branch of medicine concerned with infertility in women, when the field was in its infancy. His major advances in the field include, in 1950, showing the effectiveness of estrogens in managing menopause symptoms and developing, in 1966, a monthly oral contraceptive pill, an accomplishment for which MCG received national attention. His group's discovery in 1961 that clomiphene citrate could induce ovulation was a breakthrough in reproductive biology, and clomiphene citrate is today the first choice in treating ovulatory disorders. [3] [4] [5] He also showed that the drug Danazol was useful in the management of endometriosis and fibrocystic breast disease. [6] [7] [8]
Greenblatt's published works include hundreds of full-length scientific articles. He also wrote or edited more than 20 books for a lay audience. His 1968 book Search the Scriptures: Modern Medicine and Biblical Personages went through 26 printings. [9] Greenblatt also updated "Advances in Endocrinology" in the Encyclopædia Britannica Yearbook for 18 years. In 1987, he authored Sex and Circumstance: Humanity in History, which contained 44 vignettes detailing the sexual nature of people ranging from U.S. President John F. Kennedy to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. [10]
Greenblatt was awarded the Crawford W. Long Memorial Medal for his work on menometrorrhagia in 1941. [11] He also received France's Legion of Honor, Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur, in 1973, and the Sociedad de Ginecologia y Obstetricia de Monterrey Gold Medal award of Mexico in 1974. In March 1987, he was elected honorary fellow in the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in Great Britain. MCG's library was renamed in his honor in 1988.
at Augusta University's Medical College of Georgia
Greenblatt died on September 27, 1987.
Emergency contraception (EC) is a birth control measure, used after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: a progestin and estrogen. When taken correctly, it alters the menstrual cycle to eliminate ovulation and prevent pregnancy.
Polycystic ovary syndrome, or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), is the most common endocrine disorder in women of reproductive age. The syndrome is named after cysts which form on the ovaries of some people with this condition, though this is not a universal symptom, and not the underlying cause of the disorder.
Anovulation is when the ovaries do not release an oocyte during a menstrual cycle. Therefore, ovulation does not take place. However, a woman who does not ovulate at each menstrual cycle is not necessarily going through menopause. Chronic anovulation is a common cause of infertility.
Clomifene, also known as clomiphene, is a medication used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate, including those with polycystic ovary syndrome. Use results in a greater chance of twins. It is taken by mouth once a day, with a course of treatment that usually lasts for five days.
A contraceptive patch, also known as "the patch", is a transdermal patch applied to the skin that releases synthetic oestrogen and progestogen hormones to prevent pregnancy. They have been shown to be as effective as the combined oral contraceptive pill with perfect use, and the patch may be more effective in typical use.
Fertility medications, also known as fertility drugs, are medications which enhance reproductive fertility. For women, fertility medication is used to stimulate follicle development of the ovary. There are very few fertility medication options available for men.
Maternal use of androgens or high doses of certain weakly androgenic synthetic progestogens (progestins) structurally related to testosterone can masculinize (virilize) the external genitalia of a female fetus during susceptible times in pregnancy.
Letrozole, sold under the brand name Femara among others, is an aromatase inhibitor medication that is used in the treatment of breast cancer.
Intermenstrual bleeding, previously known as metrorrhagia, is uterine bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly between the expected menstrual periods. It is a cause of vaginal bleeding.
Danazol, sold as Danocrine and other brand names, is a medication used in the treatment of endometriosis, fibrocystic breast disease, hereditary angioedema and other conditions. It is taken by mouth.
Gestrinone, sold under the brand names Dimetrose and Nemestran among others, is a medication which is used in the treatment of endometriosis. It has also been used to treat other conditions such as uterine fibroids and heavy menstrual bleeding and has been investigated as a method of birth control. Gestrinone is used alone and is not formulated in combination with other medications. It is taken by mouth or in through the vagina.
Ovulation induction is the stimulation of ovulation by medication. It is usually used in the sense of stimulation of the development of ovarian follicles to reverse anovulation or oligoovulation.
Robert William Kistner was a gynecologist who specialized in the treatment of endometriosis and was involved in the early development of the birth control pill.
John Charles Rock was an American obstetrician and gynecologist. He is best known for the major role he played in the development of the first birth control pill, colloquially called "the pill".
Ovarian drilling, also known as multiperforation or laparoscopic ovarian diathermy, is a surgical technique of puncturing the membranes surrounding the ovary with a laser beam or a surgical needle using minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures. It differs from ovarian wedge resection, which involves the cutting of tissue. Minimally invasive ovarian drilling procedures have replaced wedge resections. Ovarian drilling is preferred to wedge resection because cutting into the ovary can cause adhesions which may complicate postoperative outcomes. Ovarian drilling and ovarian wedge resection are treatment options to reduce the amount of androgen producing tissue in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is the primary cause of anovulation, which results in female infertility. The induction of mono-ovulatory cycles can restore fertility.
Abraham Albert "Al" Yuzpe is a Canadian obstetrician-gynecologist known for his work on human fertility and emergency contraception. The Yuzpe regimen, named after him, is a method of reducing potential unwanted pregnancies, including pregnancy from rape. He published the first studies demonstrating the method's safety and efficacy in 1974.
James Boyer Brown MSc (NZ) PhD (Edin) DSc (Edin) FRACOG, Professor Emeritus, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Melbourne.
Endometriosis and its complications are a major cause of female infertility. Endometriosis is a dysfunction characterized by the migration of endometrial tissue to areas outside of the endometrium of the uterus. The most common places to find stray tissue are on ovaries and fallopian tubes, followed by other organs in the lower abdominal cavity such as the bladder and intestines. Typically, the endometrial tissue adheres to the exteriors of the organs, and then creates attachments of scar tissue called adhesions that can join adjacent organs together. The endometrial tissue and the adhesions can block a fallopian tube and prevent the meeting of ovum and sperm cells, or otherwise interfere with fertilization, implantation and, rarely, the carrying of the fetus to term.
Celso-Ramón García was an American physician who specialized in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. He oversaw early clinical trials of the first oral contraceptive pill in Puerto Rican women and later became a professor of human reproduction at the University of Pennsylvania.
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