Figure 1 Chemical structure of thalidomide.
The name ‘thalidomide’ is still notorious around the world. It is responsible for one of the greatest medical disasters of modern times and its effects are still being felt by thousands of families worldwide.
Thalidomide (Figure 1) was prescribed from 1957 to 1961 to thousands of pregnant women to help combat morning sickness. As a result, thousands of babies were born with a particular type of severe limb deformity. The condition was known before thalidomide but was very rare indeed.
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