Jaime Zipper (20 January 1926 – 16 March 2011) was a Chilean physician and scientist who, with American

Howard Tatum Howard J. Tatum (1915 – 2002) was an American obstetrician. Along with Chilean physician Jaime Zipper, he invented the copper intrauterine device (IUD). The Tatum-T intrauterine device was the first T-shaped copper-bearing IUD to be sold in ...

, created the first T-shaped copper intrauterine device. Zipper discovered the contraceptive properties of intrauterine copper.

Early life and education

The child of

Polish Jews The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Jews, Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the long pe ...

Gustavo Zipper and Juana Antonia Abragan, Jaime Zipper was born in

Lviv, Ukraine Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. The family moved to Mulchén,

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, and then to

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. He studied at the Liceo José Victorino Lastarria and subsequently completed his secondary education at the Internado Nacional Barros Arana. From an early age, Zipper showed a deep interest in science, and went on to study medicine at the

Universidad de Chile The University of Chile () is a public research university in Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the co ...

. He earned his doctoral degree in 1953 with a thesis entitled "Contribución al estudio de la Hidatidosis en Chile" (). In his final three years of study, he was an assistant professor of

parasitology Parasitology is the study of parasites, their host (biology), hosts, and the relationship between them. As a List of biology disciplines, biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in questio ...

. Between 1961 and 1962, he was a

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

in reproductive physiology at the

Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology The Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research (WFBR) was a non-profit biomedical research institute based in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, United States. History The foundation was established as an independent research center under the name Worces ...

in the United States. There, he worked with Gregory Goodwin Pincus, the developer of the first

oral contraceptive pill Oral contraceptives, abbreviated OCPs, also known as birth control pills, are medications taken by mouth for the purpose of birth control. The introduction of the birth control pill ("the Pill") in 1960 revolutionized the options for contraception, ...

Academic career

In 1963, he became associate professor of physiology in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Chile. Between 1967 and 1969 he served as the medical head of the Department of Human Reproduction of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

in Switzerland, and he remained a professor during that time. In 1981 he was awarded tenure as a

full professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a 'person who professes'. Professors ...

of physiology, and in 2004 he was named

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

at the University of Chile. In 1959, Zipper introduced the first IUD made in Chile, dubbed the Zipper ring. It was made of a nylon monofilament, and was implemented in maternity hospitals for underserved populations, notably the Hospital Barros Luco. He investigated older devices, such as the Gräfenberg ring, made with a copper-nickel-zinc alloy (nickel silver), whose efficacy was erroneously attributed to metal in general, not copper. Zipper concluded that the spermicidal activity of the device was related to the percentage of copper in the alloy, and worked with international colleagues, notably the Americans Jack Lippes and

, to develop a more effective IUD. In 1970, based on his research, he introduced a T shaped device made with copper, a design that persists in many modern copper IUDs. Zipper also was known for his research into a technique for permanent sterilization using a small dose of

quinacrine Mepacrine, also called quinacrine or by the trade names Atabrine or Atebrin, is a medication with several uses. It is related to chloroquine and mefloquine. Although available from compounding pharmacies, as of August 2020 approved formulation ...

delivered transcervically.

Death and legacy

Zipper died in the morning of March 16, 2011 of complications due to

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor system, motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become ...

. He was recognized for his contributions to global health in reducing maternal mortality due to unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion.

Awards and honors

* Premio de la Sociedad Chilena de Obstetricia y Ginecología, 1954. * Samuel L. Siegler Lecture of the American Fertility Society, for his publication “Human Fertility Control by Transvaginal Application of Quinacrine on the Fallopian Tube”, 1970. * Ernst Gräfenberg Prize, Germany, 1983. * Award for his relevant contributions in the field of human reproduction, 10th World Congress of Human Reproduction in Brazil, 1999 * Honorary Member of the Sistema Nacional de Salud of the Chilean Ministry of Health, 1999. * Honored as one of the forebears of modern contraception by Centro Latinoamericano Salud y Mujer ( CELSAM) , 2000. * Honored at the 17th congress of FIGO, 2003 * Recognized by the Chilean MInistry of Health for his research into contraception, 2004

Publications

* Zipper t al “Influence of hormonal factors and intrauterine contraceptive devices on the acceptance of an intrauterine autograft”. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1969 Jan; 103(1): 86-9. * Zipper t al “Metallic copper as an intrauterine contraceptice adjunct to the “T” device”. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1969 Dec 15; 105(8): 1274-8. * Zipper t al “Human fertility control by transvaginal application of quinacrine on the fallopian tube”. Fertil Steril. 1970 Aug; 21(8):851-9. * Zipper t al “Studies of the physiological activity of IUDs containing copper”. Contraception. 1975 Jul; 12(1): 1-10. * Zipper t al “Quinacrine nonsurgical female sterilization: a reassessment of safety and efficacy”. Fertil Steril. 1985 Sep; 44(3):293-8. * Zipper t al “Quinacrine and copper, compounds with anticonceptive and antineoplastic activity”. Contraception. 1994 Sep; 50(3):243-51. * Zipper t al “Quinacrine sterilization: a restrospective”. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2003 Oct; 83 Suppl 2:S7-11. Review

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zipper, Jaime 1926 births 2011 deaths 20th-century Chilean educators 20th-century Chilean scientists Academic staff of the University of Chile Chilean academics Chilean Jews Chilean physicians Obstetricians Chilean scientists Deaths from Parkinson's disease University of Chile alumni World Health Organization officials Chilean people of Polish-Jewish descent