Teratology Literature and The Thalidomide Controversy

The prospect of bearing an abnormal or deformed child has long been a chilling fear of all expectant mothers. Of the estimated 130 million children born each year worldwide, ] at least 2 to 3 percent are born with some type of birth defect.z It has only been within the last 150 years that doctors have attempted to interpret birth defects, or congenital malformations, in a scientific manner. The term “teratology” was first coined in 1832 by the French physician Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire to define a field of science dedicated to studying developmental anomalies. The term is derived from the Greek term ‘‘terato, ” meaning monster. He also described and classified the known abnormalities of his day. 3 While teratology had its origins in the descriptive anatomy of congenital malformations, Richard W. Smithells, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, University of Leeds, UK, points out that today teratology includes any birth defect—morphological, biochemical, or behavioral-induced by an embryotoxic agent at any stage of gestation.’$This wider definition inevitably includes the involvement of many disciplines. For example, teratology is considered an offshoot of developmental biology. While developmental biology is the study of the overall development of the individual during gestation, teratology is primarily concerned with factors that interfere with developmental differentiation. These factors are often considered embryotoxins requiring the expertise of a toxicologist who December 15, 1986