HSS 2121 Chapter Notes - Chapter 12: Miracle Drug, Thalidomide, Cervical Cancer
17 Feb 2017
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Hss2121 // summary of thalidomide documentary exposed -- going against popular opinion and looking for truth ( 9/11 headlines) Martin johnson says thalidomide is the worst thing to have occurred. Injured 100,000+ babies, 1mil adults people don"t think of it! Suspicions that drug company was negligent -- sunday times. Chemie grunenthal -- post war demand of antibiotics and sedatives. Thalidomide = addictive euphoric (time of many ods from barbiturates) -- belief newspaper that this drug wasn"t harmful. Morning sickness seen as psychosomatic = pregnant woman took to calm down. First thalidomide baby born christmas day -- company went ahead and released drug globally. Doctors and midwives suffocated deformed babies or left them to die. Pap smear for cervical cancer introduced 60s -- campaign began in uk after. 1962 thalidomide banned worldwide as horror of reality is evident -- british minister thought it was a publicity stunt and ignored the dangers.
