Frankie: The Woman Who Saved Millions from Thalidomide by James Essinger & Sandra Koutzenko - Book Blitz
Frankie: The Woman Who Saved Millions from Thalidomide
Thalidomide:
patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning
sickness. A wonder drug with no side-effects.
We know
differently now.
Today,
thalidomide is a byword for tragedy and drug reform – a sign of what happens
when things aren’t done ‘the right way’. But when it was released in the 1950s,
it was the best thing since penicillin – something that doctors were encouraged
to prescribe to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually
did: induce sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn
children.
But,
whilst thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never
reached the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and
there it stayed as she battled hierarchy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in
an effort to prove that it was dangerous. Frankie
is her story.
Purchase Links
Author
Bio –
JAMES ESSINGER is
the author of non-fiction books that focus on STEM subjects and personalities,
including Charles and Ada (The History Press) and Ada’s Algorithm (Gibson
Square), the latter of which has been optioned for a film. He lives in
Canterbury.
SANDRA KOUTZENKO is
a bilingual writer whose work spans a variety of categories and topics, ranging
from French poetry to English non-fiction, focusing on human nature and the
conflict between its potential for greatness and its propensity for
destruction.
Social
Media Links –
Twitter
@TheHistoryPress
Instagram
@TheHistoryPressUK
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