134 Journal of the association of physicians of india • vol 63 • march, 2015 Genitalia and Infertility Federica Guaraldi*, Renato Pasquali* Fig. 1: Karl Rokitansky. Austria, 1954 Fig. 5: Adolf F.J. Butenandt. Gambia, 1995 Fig. 2: Charles Eduard Brown Sequard. Republic of Mauritius, 1994 Fig. 6 : First day cover. Percy Lavon Julian. USA, 1993 Fig. 3: Julius Tandler. Austria, 1986 Fig. 7: Carl Djerassi. Austria, 2005 K arl Rokitansky (1804 – 1878) (Figure 1) studied the polycystic tumours of the ovaries and described a syndrome characterised by vaginal aplasia associated with other mullerian duct abnormalities (Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome). * Endocrinology Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi General Hospital, Bologna, Italy, 40138 In 1889, at the age of 70, Charles Eduard Brown Sequard (1817-1894) (Figure 2) injected himself animals’ testicles extracts, testing their virilizing effects. Julius Tandler (1869-1936) (Figure 3) deeply studied female reproductive system and described the effect of castration in the postpuberal age. George Nicolas Papanicolaou (1883-1962) (Figure 4) understood the cellular and hormonal (i.e. oestrogens levels) changes during female cycle. In 1939 Adolf F.J. Butenandt (1903-1955) (Figure 5) and Lavoslav S. Ruzicka (18871976) won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the isolation of the pure, crystalline Fig. 4: George Nicolas Papanicolaou. Greece, 1973 Fig. 8: Awareness about adolescents reproductive health. Mexico, 1997 form of oestrone and androsterone. One year later, Percy Lavon Julian (1899-1975) (Figure 6) synthesised male and female sexual hormones from vegetal stigmasterols and sitosterols, isolated from soybean oil and started producing them in industrial quantities, reducing the costs for the treatment of hormonal deficiencies. In 1952 Carl Djerassi (1923 -) (Figure 7) synthesised norethindrone that became part of the first successful combined oral contraceptive pill, that was for the first time administered to animals by Gregory Pincus (1903-1967). To date, even if great chances are offered to patients by hormonal replacement therapies and assisted fertilization’s techniques, sterility continues to be a major health problem (Figure 8) that concerns different medical fields, such as Endocrinology, Gynaecology and Urology.