Iowegian
How dare you personalise a reply like that!
I don't believe that Chris posted a comment connecting you, or any American or other nationality to the creation of or manufacture of Napthalene or anything that it may or may not cause.
It is wholly inappropriate for you to have said what you did and in the manner which you said it.
Napthalene is on the International Agency for Research on Cancers list of possible cancer causing agents. However, it is known to cause anemia.
Thalidomide, on the other hand, is still used today to treat leprosy.
However, when the drug was patented and used scientists believed that medications couldn't pass from mother to foetus...this was rapidly disproved after 10,000 children were born with birth defects. Australian obstetrician, Dr. William McBride suspected the link and, in conjunction with German Dr Lenz, this was proven.
Dr. McBride was awarded a medal and prize money by the prestigious L'Institut de la Vie of the French Government in connection with his discovery. Using the prize money, he established Foundation 41, a Sydney-based medical research foundation concerned with the causes of birth defects. His most notable achievement, with Dr P H Huang, was the discovery that thalidomide caused malformations by interacting with the DNA of the dividing embryonic cells. This finding stimulated their experimentation, which showed that thalidomide may inhibit cell division in rapidly dividing cells of malignant tumors. This work was published in the journal "Pharmacology and Toxicology" in 1999 and has been rated in the top ten of the most important Australian medical discoveries.
On a personal note, Dr. McBride used to be baby sat by my grandmother
