Article ID: CBB000770762

Hormones for Life? Behind the Rise and Fall of a Hormone Remedy (Gonadex) against Sterility in the Swedish Welfare State (2007)

unapi

1948 the pharmaceutical company Leo launched a placental hormonal preparation, called Gonadex, in Sweden. During a press conference, and in commercials and newspapers, it was said that Gonadex could cure sterility as well as many other problems related to the endocrine system. The remedy was described as effective and pure, with no side effects whatsoever. For several reasons, Gonadex was looked upon as a `Swedish triumph'. Inspired by research on `mediation', conducted within the field of social studies of pharmaceutical drugs, the present essay explores the political and scientific visions and values behind Gonadex; the propaganda for and marketing of Gonadex; the mediated image of Gonadex in the press; the reception by the medical profession, and finally the hopes and fears of the women who tried (or wanted to try) Gonadex. The essay argues that the public image of Gonadex was `oversell' of hormone therapy, and that it was shaped by the way endocrinologists at Karolinska Hospital, notably Professor Axel Westman, mediated between Leo, the mass media, and the consumers when, and even before, Gonadex was introduced to the market.

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Authors & Contributors
Gaudillière, Jean-Paul
Burton-Rose, Daniel
Zhu, Jing
Watkins, Elizabeth Siegel
Vallgårda, Signild
Srogosz, T.
Concepts
Medicine
Pharmacy
Reproductive medicine
Sex hormones
Pharmaceutical industry
Birth control; contraception; sterilization
Time Periods
20th century, late
21st century
20th century, early
Places
Sweden
Germany
Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Argentina
United States
Poland
Institutions
Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Biochemie, Berlin-Dahlem
Johns Hopkins Hospital
Medical Research Council (Great Britain)
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