Monstrous Remedy Poem by Paul Hartal

Horror films attract crowds of fans.
Alas, life can surpass the horrors of movies.

Take, for instance, the case of teratogenesis,
human "monsters" created by drug-induced
birth defects.

One of these drugs, Thalidomide, was developed
more than half century ago in Germany
as a mild sleeping pill and anti-nausea remedy.

However, this medication was withdrawn there
due to its association with monstrous births.

Although in the USA the drug was not approved
for sale by the FDA, a group of doctors
who received samples from a pharmaceutical
company began to experiment on their patients.

The tragic result was
that a number of unsuspecting women gave birth
to horribly deformed children, including babies
born without limbs.

Only the determined efforts of a woman scientist
working at the FDA prevented the mass marketing
of Thalidomide in America.

However, to save their investment in research
and marketing, Big Pharma found new applications
for Thalidomide.

They just changed its name.
So, the drug is still used in the treatment of
leprosy, as well as of certain cancers,
such as myeloma.