sarsasapogenin found in beth root. In March 1944, the company made the first kilo of progesterone, which was sold at $50/gram. After a dispute in the company in 1945, Marker severed ties with Syntex SA. Because Marker was the only person in the company who knew how to do the synthesis of progesterone, they could no longer produce the drug. Marker however went to work with Botanica-mex, a company based in Texcoco. The company later was sold to Gedeon Richter Ltd. where they started using both cabeza de negro and barbasco (yam) to make progesterone. Today, progesterone can be used to make cortisone and oral contraceptives. Honors Mexican Chemical Society at the VI International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products in Mexico City (1969) Chemical Congress of North America (1975) Lecture series in astronomy, astrophysics, chemistry, evolutionary biology, genetics, math, and physical sciences are held annually at Penn State in Russell Marker's honor. References 1902 births 1995 deaths Syntex American physical chemists Businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry University of Maryland, College Park alumni People from Hagerstown, Maryland