As President Trump continues to make statements without any evidence to back them up, I am reminded of a troubling chapter in medical history.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, the manufacturers of a new “wonder drug” called thalidomide began aggressively marketing it to pregnant women as a cure for morning sickness. Thousands of women took it in Europe, the U.K. and Canada.
Its application for sale in the United States was expected to be swiftly rubber-stamped. But one scientist, Frances Oldham Kelsey, felt that the drug’s manufacturer, the Merrell Co., had not provided enough proof of thalidomide’s safety. She refused to approve it. Merrell called her an obstructive bureaucrat who was hurting business. Kelsey demanded proof. Merrell tried to get her fired. Still, Kelsey said “no.”
Then reports came in that tens of thousands of children were being born with horrific birth defects – missing or flipper-like limbs, no eyes, missing organs – as a direct result of their mother’s thalidomide prescriptions. Only half of those children survived. Thanks to Frances Oldham Kelsey, America avoided a similar tragedy.
The moral of the story is: When someone makes a claim, demand evidence. And if they can’t provide proof, don’t believe them. Otherwise, the consequences could be unthinkable.
Victoria Hugo-Vidal
Buxton
Send questions/comments to the editors.
