German-American biochemist whose discovery of progesterone and its relationship to ovulation led to the development of birth control pills.
After military service in World War I, Slotta began his hormone research at the Chemical Institute in Breslau, Germany, under the guidance of Professor Ludwig Fraenkel. Slotta obtained his PhD in chemistry from the University of Breslau in 1923 where he discovered that the biguanided metformin lowers the blood glucose concentration in rabbits. He continued post-doc work at the university with guidance from Professor Fraenkel.
In 1933, Slotta was first, or one of the first, to isolate and identify progesterone (there being four separate research labs which claim such distinction).
After the rise of the Nazis, he left Germany in 1935 with his family for the safety of Brazil. In 1938, Slotta and his brother-in-law Heinz Fraenkel-Conrat isolated crotoxin from venom, the first snake toxin to be isolated in crystalline form. Their research suggested that the toxicity of crotoxin was due to effects on nerve lipids. He subsequently co-founded a biopharmaceutical company.
He arrived at the Port of New York on 17 May 1948, with his wife Maja Slotta, and daughter. In 1956, Slotta was appointed research professor of biochemistry at the University of Miami, Florida. Slotta became a naturalized United States citizen on 30 March 1961. He died on 17 July 1987, aged 92, in Coral Gables.

Link to Wikipedia biography