at the cause of this was.
             Probably the most renowned apparent disability is Pharcomelia; the name
             given to the flipper-like limbs which appeared on the children of women
             who took thalidomide. Babies affected by this tragedy were given the name
             'Thalidomide Babies'. It was banned in 1962 because of the disabilities
             associated with its use by pregnant women. Thalidomide was never
             approved by the FDA for use in the United States because of one woman,
             Frances Kelsey, M.D., Ph.D. Kelsey wanted to know the answers to
             questions that often were not asked in those days. Neither Chemie
             Grunenthal, the drug company, nor Richardson-Merrell, the American
             licensee, could or would answer her questions, and so the drug went
             unapproved in the United States. Until now. On September 19th, 1997 the
             FDA issued an "approvable" letter to the manufacturers of thalidomide.
             And in July of 1998 the FDA gave restricted approval for the use of
             thalidomide for the symptoms of leprosy. Today, almost 40 years after
             thalidomide was first introduced, manufacturers are conducting clinical trials
             to see if thalidomide can treat inflammation common to a host of diseases,
             and combat weight loss and aphthous ulcers in AIDS patients. Other trials
             are studying thalidomide's effect on the eye disease macular degeneration;
             on breast, prostate and brain cancer; and on Kaposi's sarcoma (a form of
             cancer common in AIDS patients). If thalidomide were shown to be safe and
             effective for even one such use, it would represent a remarkable comeback
             for a drug that once was universally condemned.
             ...