[Leopold Meyler (1903-1973): a pioneer in the field of side affects of drugs].
In 1951, more than a decade before the first rumblings of the thalidomide catastrophe, a remarkable book appeared in the Netherlands under the authorship of Leopold Meyler. It appeared a year later in an English translation, as Side effects of drugs. This was a remarkable book at a time that medical interest in drugs--and particularly new drugs--was limited almost entirely to their proven or possible therapeutic benefits. Meyler was a specialist in internal medicine in Groningen. He was Jewish and was forced to go into hiding during World War II. He suffered a great deal during this time and after the war he was admitted to a sanatorium where he was treated for tuberculosis. It was here that he was advised to start the systematic collection of adverse-drug reactions reported in literature. Initially there was quite a lot of criticism of his work but it gradually gained recognition and he was appointed the first professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Groningen University in 1968. In his own time his was a lone voice crying in the wilderness. Had his voice been heeded earlier, the extent of the thalidomide disaster might well have been much more limited. His work still continues to contribute to the safe use of drugs.
van Grootheest
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Nederlands Bijwerkingen Centrum Lareb, Goudsbloemvallei 7, 5237 MH 's-Hertogenbosch. ac.vangrootheest@lareb.nl
Dukes
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D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009426:Netherlands; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000266:history*; D010600:Pharmacology / Q000266:history; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D013792:Thalidomide