Pincus, Gregory

Pincus, Gregory (Goodwin) (“Goody”) (1903–67) endocrinologist; born in Woodbine, N.J. He taught at four Massachusetts universities—Harvard (1931–38), Clark (1938–45), Tufts (1946–50), and Boston University (1950–67). In 1944 he cofounded the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, one of the first laboratories set up expressly to channel scientific discoveries directly into commercial development. He concentrated on studying hormones and other factors in mammalian reproduction and—with financial support brought in thanks to Margaret Sanger—he became one of the prime developers of an oral contraception pill (1951). An author of books and scientific papers, he published The Eggs of Mammals (1936) and The Control of Fertility (1965).