who discovered the link between thalidomide and birth defects
Thalidomide The Australian obstetrician William McBride and the German paediatrician Widukind Lenz suspected a link between birth defects and the drug, a theory Lenz proved in 1961.[53][54] McBride was later awarded a number of honors, including a medal and prize money by L'Institut de la Vie in Paris.[55] Further animal tests were conducted by Dr George Somers, Chief Pharmacologist of Distillers Company in Britain, which showed foetal abnormalities in rabbits.[56] Similar results were also published showing these effects in rats[57][58] and other species.[59]