“On the Pill”
In 1960 the Food and Drug Administration approved the first oral contraceptive pill. Within a few years, millions of American women were “on the Pill.” Doris Wagner began using it in 1962 after she and her husband David had their fourth child. The required regimen—one a day for twenty days then five days off—made remembering to take the pill a source of anxiety for the couple. David, an engineer, designed a dispenser to alleviate the problem. Most American pharmaceutical companies that sold birth control pills adopted his idea.
Pill Dispenser Prototype, 1962
Wagner made a simple model of his dispenser using a few sheets of plastic, a metal fastener, and a wood dowel. (Collected 1995, Gift of David P. Wagner)
DialPak Pill Dispenser, 1963
In 1963 Ortho Pharmaceuticals adopted Wagner’s design for their DialPak dispenser. (Collected 2000, Gift of Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical)
Wagner Pill Dispenser Patent, 1964
Wagner submitted a patent application for his design in July, 1962. Two years later he was granted patent 3,143,207. (Collected 1995, Gift of David P. Wagner)
