Odd spot: Remind me again, what is thalidomide?

Phocomelia was a common birth defect
from taking thalidomide during pregnancy

The Conversation is running a series on thalidomide – the history of the tragedy, its long-term impacts and the fight for justice. In this story, medical historian Arthur Daemmrich sets the scene of the mid-20th century drug landscape and explains how thalidomide was marketed, used, and withdrawn after causing thousands of birth defects.