Since The Titanic

The world has changed since the unsinkable Titanic sank. The popular dogma in the "... sanctum sanctorum of the uterus..." postulating that the unborn was safe from environmental assaults was sunk by Thalidomide experience in Germany, Japan and other nations. Now that Thalidomide is back, Drs. G. J. Annas and S. Elias (Am. J. Publ. Health 89: 98, 1999) elaborate on the question "did the FDA properly weight the risks and benefits of introducing thalidomide to the U.S. market?".

The authors point out that "society is perfectly capable of being indifferent to human suffering and continues to be so in this instance... the Titanic's owners reduced the number of lifeboats to save money... the Titanic/Thalidomide lesson for the FDA and public health is that continuous vigilance is required ... (and) rigorous post marketing monitoring of all new and potentially dangerous drugs."