Scandal: Thalidomide The worlds worst Medical Disaster? | Short Documentary

Learn with Plainly Difficult!

Once touted as a wonder drug that could alleviate any form of nausea Thalidomide also known as Contergan, was prescribed to pregnant women, but soon enough the wonder medicine would become a nightmare...

Thank you to my Patreons, Youtube Members and Paypal Donors, your support keeps the lights on!

SOCIAL MEDIA:

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome to a New Series
00:26 Intro
01:46 Background
02:31 Drugs Discovery
08:27 Troubling Rumours
10:59 International Attention
15:23 Aftermath

EQUIPTMENT USED::
►SM7B
►Audient ID4
►MacBook Pro 16
►Hitfilm
►Logic X

MUSIC:
►Outro: 303 Jam Pt2 (Plainly John)

OTHER GREAT CHANNELS:

Sources:

►Copyright Museums Victoria / CC BY
Attribute this image
Photographer: Marita Dyson
►Museums Victoria

#disaster #Documentary​​​​ #History​​​​​​​​​ #TrueStories​

[PlainlyDifficult]

Like the new series and want to see more let me know!

[emitindustries]

Around 1960, I grew up next door to a boy who had Thalidomide deformed arms. We used to all play together, and we kids didn't think much of it, although we knew he was different. We were all around 8-11 years old. One of his arms ended a few inches from his shoulder, with 3 fingers. His other arm stopped at the elbow, with 2 fingers. He moved away later.
I saw him again when I was around 22. I went to a club with a girlfriend to dance to the live rock band playing there. They sounded great. The drummer was perfect. When I got closer to the band, I saw that it was that same guy, all grown up, and living a normal life. He played drums like any drummer would, with maybe not as much speed, but perfect timing and musicianship.
It was nice to see that he turned out alright.

[Fayeluria]

My lovely teacher in primary school was what we call a "contergan baby" - she had deformities in her face, arms and hands. I remember her telling us about it in a very child friendly way, so it's shocking and eye opening to hear how it actually was.

[MrJest]

I went to school with a "Thalidomide Baby" here in the US; his mother was part of the clinical trials before they were halted. He was mentally OK, but his legs and one arm were tiny and misshapen. He rather painfully hobbled around on prosthetic legs and crutches. Unsurprisingly, he was not a particularly cheerful fellow, although he did the best he could. No idea what happened to him after high school...

[tsbrownie]

My mother was offered it, but her morning sickness was mild, she did not believe in medicine for every little discomfort, and she turned it down. Thanks mom!

[francisnewlandnewland]

A doctor once called me a "pill phobic". I saw he wrote that in my chart so I asked him why it was bad to ask about prescriptions. He said he was the one who went to medical school and to trust in medicine's advances. Nowadays you get an entire printout about your medications.

[Raptorman]

The story of Frances Oldham Kelsey and her refusal to authorize the use of Thalidomide came at nearly the same time as another woman scientist was warning about another chemical DDT. Rachel Carson's book, "Silent Spring" was vehemently opposed by DuPont and the chemical industry and they spent a lot of money trying to discredit her and the book. The parallels are hard to ignore!

[AussieAF]

As a new Pharmacist this drug still haunts us. It's something that is informally covered in our degree to the point we can name almost every detail of the incident. Now that doctors are starting to prescribe it again (for certain illnesses), you get the worst feeling filling this script. For all the bad, this single drug is what gets most people in pharmacy interested in Organic Chem, which I guess is a positive

[MrTommyboy]

I had a close family friend who's wife took Thalidomide early in her pregnancy and their daughter was born with her left arm missing from about 6 inches below her elbow. It just ended with a bone covered by skin. And if she got mad and hit you with it, it hurt. She was fitted with a device that had a curved set if "pincers" so she could grasp and pick up objects with it. She was a smart, bright girl who didn't let her deformity slow her down. This video made me think of her for the first time in years. She was also the March of Dimes poster child in the late 1960's in our area.

[Vimalth]

My grandma actually took it while she was pregnant with my dad, luckily after the period when it could affect the unborn child. But it sure must have been terrifying to know that while the scandal came to light

[codetech]

My mother requested it but she had an "old fashioned" doctor who refused to prescribe what he considered an experimental drug.

[Kaboomboo]

Bless Frances Kelsey's adherence to scientific evidence and ethics over pressure from a big company. She saved so many children with her work.

[Kenny.G]

My mother lost 3 babies to Thalidomide, twins Robert and Simon (February 10, 1963) and Ruth (my twin sister, November 3, 1963). Yes I am affected by Thalidomide, I was sent home to die as the doctors needed the humidicrib I was in for other babies ( they believed I was too weak to survive), I’ve just turned 60 and I’m obviously still here. My mother took Thalidomide between days 23-26 of her pregnancy with Ruth and I. Thalidomide was banned in Australia August 1962, the federal government never made the announcement as it wanted to avoid public hysteria, so there was no government agent follow up to make sure doctors and pharmacists weren’t still prescribing or dispensing the drug to pregnant women.

My mother was prescribed it by our family doctor and dispensed by our family pharmacist for her depression after losing Robert and Simon, she didn’t know she was pregnant with Ruth and l and she ended up taking the drug between days 23-26 of her pregnancy.

[emilycrewe]

I went to school with a boy who was a Thalidomide baby. He had significant limb deformity of both legs, both arms, and both hands. Luckily, he was quite capable and was able to participate in most activities with the use of his prosthetic legs. He would have been born in the early to mid 80’s, so this was very unusual in Canada at the time, but I believe his mother was from Brazil where Thalidomide usage by pregnant women was still more prevalent.

[symera]

The doctor of my grandmother insisted on prescribing her Contergan against her morning sickness, claiming that it would be the only thing making it better. She refused to take or even buy it regardless, because of the rumours that started circling. I'm very glad she decided against it.

[davebarclay]

My mother was strongly advised to take thalidomide when she was pregnant with my younger sister. Our old-school "doctor knows best" GP was not best pleased when she point blank refused. To the end of her days Mum couldn't really explain why she refused it beyond a lifelong dislike of taking medication and the knowledge from her first pregnancy (me) that the morning sickness would eventually stop anyway. If Mum hadn't faced down the GP my sister would probably have turned out very differently from the pretty, funny, sporty girl that she became. It makes me shudder just to think about it

[lowri.]

currently watching this with my 4 month old with me, this was my first and probably the only pregnancy i will ever go through as my morning sickness was so bad that i was admitted to hospital to be put on a drip and have antiemetic injections as i couldn’t even manage to keep a sip of water down at some points. i, like many other women, are so lucky to have access to medication now that is known to be safe to take whilst pregnant. morning sickness can be debilitating and none of those women who took thalidomide should be vilified. i see commenters implying that only ‘weak’ women took the drug and that they only have themselves to blame, as if it was selfish of them to take what a doctor recommended to help them feel better..

[lindsaygalandiuk]

As a chemist I was taught about this drug. It was used as an example of the importance of enantiomers. One enantiomer is a sedative, the other is a tetratogen. None of this other history was taught and I feel its really important.

[lahstories]

I work in a hospital pharmacy and it shocked me when I walked in and saw thalidomide on the shelf. It's now used to fix certain types of cancers but before every cycle of thalidomide they need blood tests and need to follow other procedures to make sure either the person isn't pregnant or won't get someone pregnant

[VS-kfqw]

I work in an industry that, while not pharma, is still subject to the FDA. I've gotten to meet quite a few of their folks over the years, and while I can't extrapolate to an entire department... I will say that these were some of the most intensely committed people I've ever met, period. The sort of people who, if they found a single loose thread, anything that seemed a little bit off, would follow it all the way to the end and then go over it again with a fine tooth comb. But as exhausting as it is (and kind of maddening, when you compile their data) I still can't help but come away from it in awe. When you realize how much of the medical industry is held together with duct tape you can't even really begrudge them.  There are a lot of unsung Dr. Kelseys out there doing the grunt work. Hats off to them.