Sinister and Rectus: The Hidden Tragedy of Thalidomide 💊

There is so much damage that results from what we don’t understand. The road of technological advancement is littered with the stories of confusion, blunders, hubris and cases of the scientific enterprise learning things the hard way.

Some of the most destructive instances of this involve the forces of chemistry sneaking up on us. Just when we thought we understood how a chemical interacted with the body, we learned we were very wrong. We learned there was more to the story.

Thalidomide, a morning sickness drug that for years harbored a horrible secret, is one such case of this.

The thalidomide catastrophe came down to a simple misunderstanding of data and overlooking just a subtlety of molecular structure.

Vanadium features video explorations of the many fascinations of Christopher Rankin.

All music written and performed by Christopher Rankin

See more at:
www.christopherrankin.net
#chemistry #pharmacy #pharmacology #historyofscience #stereochemistry



Christopher Rankin is a scientist and the author of Enter the Uncreated Night, Ann Marie's Asylum (Volume One: Master and Apprentice), Creating Monsters and his latest novel, Break the Bastion. He studied engineering at Rutgers University and received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.


Enter the Uncreated Night
Psychologist Oscar Loste is facing the most confusing and frightening case of his career. Six-year-old Beth Bardo is displaying bizarre behavior, including interaction with an imaginary friend she calls Mister Smiler. This invented character supplies Beth with an impossible degree of knowledge about everything from science to ancient cultures to Oscar’s own secrets. The little girl’s parents, a highly-educated couple who also happen to be one of the wealthiest in the country, seem as bewildered as Oscar over Beth. The more he gets to know the little girl and her family, the more Oscar slips into chaos. Self-medication with a mysterious cough syrup recently taken off the market is plaguing him with strange hallucinations and fueling his obsession with the case. As the chilling truth about Beth and Mister Smiler unfolds during her therapy sessions, Oscar must face consequences beyond his imagination.
www.amazon.com/Enter-Uncreated-Night-Christopher-Rankin-ebook/dp/B00PMY57KM/