Thalidomide: The Chemistry Mistake That Killed Thousands of Babies

On October 1, 1957, thalidomide was introduced as a new morning sickness cure. Everything seemed great until later the next year, when thousands of infants were born with severe birth defects....

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On October 1, 1957, a new over-the-counter drug was introduced in West Germany that wassupposed to basically cure morning sickness during pregnancy.It was called thalidomide.Thousands of women purchased the drug and were relieved when their morning sickness disappeared.And everything seemed great until later the next year, when thousands of infants wereborn with severe birth defects, like brain damage and deformed limbs.Doctors noticed the surge, but at first they couldn’t figure out what was causing it.Then, two doctors, Widukind Lenz from Germany and William McBride from Australia, both noticedthat the mothers of these babies had all taken that amazing new morning sickness drug.By 1961, Lenz had proven the link between thalidomide and the birth defects, and itwas...