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Reports on public health and medical subjects

v, 70 pages, 10 pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Deformities caused by thalidomide.

Thalidomide kid / by Kate Rigby.

A section from an episode of CBS news programme '60 Minutes', presented by Ed Bradley, which looks at the lives of three British people affected by thalidomide. First is Tom Yendell, an artist with upper limb deficiencies, who has a great sense of humour and positivity about his condition. Kevin Donnellon was born with no arms or legs and his mother seems bitter, stating that she would have had an abortion if she'd known how Kevin was going to be born while Kevin himself has suffered from depression and longs to have a relationship. Kim Whitford talks about being a mother to three sons and about how her prosthetic legs led to her first meeting her husband, Clive.

60 Minutes.

60 Minutes

1 videocassette (VHS) (15 min.) : sound, color, PAL.

Thalidomide plus 25.

A detailed Canadian documentary looking at the effects of thalidomide on the Canadian community. Families and thalidomiders describe their memories from the early days in which people came to terms with the effects of the drug. Other areas covered include the use of prostheses and the difficulties in getting compensation for victims of the drug. This is followed by a further 30 minute documentary on the history of thalidodmide, in particular the legal case against the drug company who prescribed it.

1 videocassette (VHS) (85 min.) : sound, color, PAL

Broken promises.

A charming film made with funding from the Lady Hoare Trust for Disabled Children, subtitled 'a film profile about the children today,' which looks at how children affected by thalidomide can best be incorporated into society and encouraged to lead as normal a life as possible. Includes footage of Lady Hoare herself addressing a small group of people, intercut with shots from Chailey Heritage Craft School and Hospital, and a film narrated by George Chatterton documenting a small group of different thalidomide children as they engage in activities like ballet, pony riding, eating, dressing and fitting into school life. The film is full of many interesting and moving sequences but particularly notable is the school PE lesson in which Tony Ashton, a four-limb deficient thalidomider, joins in whilst singing 'I've Got No Strings' and the closing sequence in which a group of thalidomide children drive electric cars made by Drivabout Ltd., prior to the advent of electric wheelchairs which would become, for many, a lifeline.

1 DVD (25 min.) : sound, black & white and colour, PAL

Only the beginning.

Recorded in the Leon Gillis Unit at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, this tape is one of a series of six video compilations and consists of sequences of amateur footage of children with varying kinds of physical disability affecting their limbs. Mostly the children have shortened arms or legs or both arms and legs and many of the children featured were affected by the drug thalidomide. Most likely intended for occupational therapy purposes, the recordings show how the various children can best move around and manipulate everyday tools, both naturally and with prosthetic limbs. The quality of the tape is in places quite poor with the image faded and tape signals frequently interrupted; some parts of the tape have sound, others are silent. Despite the low recording quality, these tapes present a rare and unstaged insight into occupational therapy for young children with limb deficiencies.

1 videocassette (48 min.) (1 inch) : silent, black and white 1 videocassette (48 min.) (DIGIBETA) : silent, black and white 1 DVD (48 min.) : silent, black and white

Miscellaneous footage of disabled children. Tape 2.

This short film is a trim from a longer film featuring a series of studies of patients with intertitles relating to the provision of prosthetic limbs for children born without arms and legs. This is a trim showing the first child (a mixed race boy of about 2 or 3) with foreshortened legs and blind in one eye with gas-powered arms and legs. He is seen holding a football. This is followed by different footage of an older child in a residential street.

1 film reel (2 min.) : silent, color, 16mm.

Prosthetic limbs. Trim.

The last in a three-part series which looks back over the last one hundred years of disability. This part begins with accounts from people incarcerated due to mental ill-health - Richard describes how difficult it was to get out of a psychiatric institution and the horrors of electroconvulsive therapy. Disabled people were titled 'socially dead' and moved into homes around the country. Arthur and Penny, a couple with dwarfism describe how they met working at a circus and ... talks about her first meeting with the Restricted Growth Society where she met other people her size for the first time. Eileen describes how she met her husband Ken and that released her from institutions and opened up a different life to her but he tragically died. Direct Action Network talk about fighting the law to get access which was the key struggle in the '90s. Louise Medus-Mansell describes her wedding day and Mat Fraser talks about being proud of his disability.

The disabled century. Part 3, 1970-present.

The first part of a dramatised film, based on historical evidence, about the effects of the drug Contergan (thalidomide) on the German population. This part follows the trial against Grunenthal, the drug company that marketed Contergan, in detail. The fictional character of the lawyer, Paul Wegener, and his wife Vera, who had a baby strongly affected by Contergan, attempt to lead their lives with a severely disabled daughter, now around eight years old. Vera decides to testify in the court. Interwoven around the lengthy court case, the family fall apart and Paul moves out of the family home. In the end, Grunenthal settle for 100 million DM, the largest court settlement ever to have been made in German history.

Contergan : Part 2, The trial.

Edited extracts from Thalidomide: An Oral History in which the interviewees discuss how they feel about drug companies. Participants include: Mat Fraser, Mikey Argy, Sukeshi Thakkar, Geoff Adams-Spink, Hazel Simmons and Mandy Masters.

Thalidomide oral history. Drug companies.

A radio programme [?] on the subject of artificial limb production in Britain in the light of the 'thalidomide tragedy.' Various people speak, including a Harley Street paediatrician who remains anonymous. Lady Hoare, former Mayoress of London and president of the Thalidomide Society describes her work with thalidomide children and her visits to Germany and Russia to review limb prostheses made there.

1 CD (42.06 min.) 1 sound tape (42.06 min.) : 1/4 inch.

Artificial limbs in Britain.

The first part of a dramatised film, based on historical evidence, about the effects of the drug Contergan (thalidomide) on the German population. The film begins in 1960 when a young married couple, Paul and Vera Wegener, expect their first child and Vera is prescribed Contergan for insomnia. At the same time, Paul, who is a lawyer, begins to represent a woman whose baby was born with severe limb defects. He notices that she took Contergan during her pregnancy. In 1961, certain members of the medical profession begin to have concerns about the side effects of Contergan and its safety during pregnancy but the drug company who produce it, Chemie Grunenthal, choose to ignore them. Vera gives birth to a daughter with very shortened arms and only one leg - the medics recommend the child be put into a home but the Wegeners take her home. Paul begins to suspect that Contergan might have had something to do with their daughter's disability and he discusses it with Vera who says he has to do something to warn other people. The remainder of this part shows the difficulties that Wegener and Dr Lange, who collected irrefutable evidence about the effects of Contergan on unborn infants, go through to get the case to court.

Contergan : Part 1, One single tablet.

Atravessando fronteiras : talidomida, a impunidade continua / Rosângela Nascimento.

Dr Ian Fletcher in conversation with Dr Ruth Blue discusses his career at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton where he worked as an orthopaedic surgeon until he sustained an injury to his eye.

1 encoded audio file (134.22 min.) + 1 PDF transcript

Interview with Dr Ian Fletcher.

Geoff Adams-Spink narrates the story of Thalidomide, both in terms of its effects on unborn children and its use as a drug to treat other diseases such as cancer.

The archive hour

Thalidomide 40 years on.

A moving and informative film which looks at the life of Brett Nielson, a boy born affected by the drug thalidomide. Brett was born without arms and the film shows touching and personal scenes from his home life - rough and tumble with his brothers, meal times and other practical activities, all of which reveal both his extraordinary dexterity with his feet and his determination. Moments of voiceover narration from Brett's mother reveal her strong insight into all the problems Brett faces in his life ahead as well as her admiration for how hard he tries to be able to do everyday tasks - we see him washing up deftly using his feet. She describes how family life has been affected by having Brett and how hurtful people's comments can be - both to her as a mother who took thalidomide and in relation to Brett's physical appearance. Other scenes include a visit by the Nielson family to the Nuffield Hospital where Brett is fitted with a gas powered prosthetic arm of the Heidelberg variety - in one scene this is demonstrated by Professor Trueta. Back at home, however, Brett displays marked resentment towards having to use the prosthetic arm as he is much happier using his feet. An early meeting of the Thalidomide Society is shown, set up by parents to compare experiences and attempt to secure a good future for their children. We see Brett visit a primary school where teachers encourage the children there to accept him - the children are fascinated to see how well Brett paints using his feet. There is a detailed demonstration of a new prosthetic arm, the Russian arm, and the Neilsons visit the Lady Hoare Experimental Workshop at Chailey Heritage Craft School and Hospital in Sussex where they meet David Bickers, born without arms and legs, during an occupational therapy session. Brett is encouraged to see how difficult it is for children with even greater disabilities than his own. The family also visit J.E. Hanger & Co., then the UK's top limb-making factory where one third of the employees have limb deficiencies themselves. In the final voiceover narration, the family are encouraged to see the future for Brett, and other children like him, as being inextricably bound up with technological developments.

1 film reel (30 min.) : sound, black and white, 16mm.

One of them is Brett.

The collection is predominantly concerned with contraception (especially oral contraception) drug toxicity and thalidomide.  It consists mainly of press cuttings but there is a large collection of advertising material for oral contraceptives with some notes and correspondence.  Dr Hetherington was collecting material during the 1960s and 1970s both agreeing and disagreeing with his own ideas on these contentious issues.

Hetherington, Robert J

Sunday Times special report on the history of Chemie Grünenthal's thalidomide (Contergan). ''Next week the great trial opens in Germany. Insight today tells the full disturbing story based on the manufacturer's internal documents". Includes portraits of Heinrich Mückler, Hans Werner, Jacob Chauvistré, Hermann Wirtz, Günther Sievers, Hermann Leufgens and Klaus Winandi.

Insight special investigation (Sunday Times Weekly Review)

Insight special investigation / Sunday Times Weekly Review

pages 49-52 : illustrations, portraits ; 60 cm.

Sunday Times Weekly Review. 10 May 1968, The thalidomide file.

The film opens as a soldier is shown eating and smoking a cigarette, wearing a prosthetic right arm known as the Russian arm. He describes how it has changed his life. Voiceover narration describes how new prostheses are helping those with missing limbs, particularly the upper limbs and a mechanic demonstrates how the Russian arm works. We see inside the workshop at Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, where prosthetic limbs are made. Professor Trueta describes what the new limb production is likely to mean for the future, particularly for children born without arms and / or legs as a result of the drug thalidomide. At the Mary Marlborough Lodge, Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital, children born with no arms and legs as a result of the drug thalidomide are shown being fitted with artificial arms. A reluctant little girl is strapped into a heavy corset which holds two Heidelberg Arms, a form of gas operated prosthesis which is very heavy and cumbersome. She tries to perform some simple tasks wearing it, including playing a small wooden toy piano but she protests repeatedly. An older boy is shown eating using prosthetic arms; he is very proficient. Trueta speaks again and talks about the future of children affected by thalidomide in the light of new technologies to come. He speaks very optimistically about the use of prosthetic limbs, particularly electronic prosthetic limbs. The film ends with a shot of the thalidomide girl outdoors in a specially designed swing.

New World.

The New World

The Russian arm.

20 unnumbered pages : color illustrations ; 21 cm

The adventures of Superhuman ... / Wellcome Collection.

Documentary looking at the history of the drug thalidomide. The first part of the programme examines the discovery of the drug in Germany in 1954 and subsequent popularity as 'Distaval', prescribed as a tranquiliser for anxiety and morning sickness. It turned out to be one of the biggest disasters in medical history when women in the early stages of pregnancy who took even just one dose of the drug gave birth to children with stunted arms and legs. The drug was banned in 1962 but 3 years later was used to successfully treat the skin lesions of ENL (erythema nodosum leprosum), a side effect of leprosy. It has also been used to treat painful ulcers in Behcet's Disease sufferers. It was found that Multiple Myeloma, a form of blood cancer, was brought under control through the use of thalidomide, but there are side effects that can lead to Neuropathy. An alternative drug, Revimin, has been developed which appears to hold no risk of birth defects or side effects. Thalidomide caused a revolution in the way scientists think about treatment of cancer and the programme ends by suggesting that because of this, the drug may be 'making amends' for the horrors it was previously responsible for.

Horizon

Videocassettes (VHS) (40 min.) : sound, color, PAL.

Thalidomide : a second chance?

207 pages, 8 pages of plates : portraits ; 20 cm

Look, no hands! : the inspiring story of Brian Gault / with Helena Rogers.

Made for the National Children's Homes, this documentary looks at a hundred years of children's homes between 1869 and 1969. Part one, The Beginning uses a dramatic reconstruction to show how the first children's homes were set up in Lambeth in 1869, as well as referring to photographs and stories of some of the first boys to live in the homes. Part two, The Expansion, looks at further children's homes which sprang up all over the UK. Again, archival photographs and films illustrate the section. The opening of the first children's home for disabled children at Chipping Norton in Oxford is covered. Part three moves into the present day and features a dramatic reconstruction of how a child might end up in care in the 1960s as well as case studies from real children in care. A further dramatic reconstruction tells the story of how a very young couple end up with an unwanted pregnancy and the baby is put into care. We see footage from Chipping Norton today, which is still a disabled children's home. This part features thalidomider, Geoff Adams-Spink, whose mother discusses giving birth to a severely disabled child and her decision to send him to a residential school. We also see footage of David, a man brought up in Chipping Norton and now living a full and active life with his own family. Part four goes on to look at the future of children's homes.

A century of caring. Part 1, The Beginning.

A series of studies of patients with intertitles relating to the provision of prosthetic limbs for children born without arms and legs. The first child (a mixed race boy of about 2 or 3) with foreshortened legs and blind in one eye has gas-powered arms and legs. Six months later he is shown with a slightly different prosthetic configuration and more developed dexterity. He demonstrates how to use a 'floating spoon'. The next patient has no upper limbs and foreshortened lower limbs. She is a bit older (5 or 6) and is shown playing a fishing game, then with a toy broom, using scissors and feeding herself with the floating spoon. She plays at washing up. An armless boy of 18 months is shown. He is shown from the front and the rear. He is shown with a 'walking aid' (a type of door bouncer). He is encouraged to use his feet. A prosthetic 'kit' - gas powered arms is demonstrated by a nurse. This is then shown used by the 18 month old toddler with no upper limbs; he cheerfully picks up bricks and places them in a bowl. An older boy with foreshortened arms uses a similar contraption. In fact even with his foreshortened arms he plays with a bucket and spade in a sand pit. With the benefit of a sign for Chailey Heritage Craft School and Hospital a number of toddlers are shown firstly without and then with prosthetic aids. A nursery with active, limb-deficient toddlers playing is seen. Outside, older children/teenagers walk around demonstrating their prosthetic legs. A young woman and then a young man walk around. Another boy demonstrates how he can quickly remove his socks and shoes - and then put them on again. Another woman demonstrates her walking abilities. A different young woman (Louise Medus-Mansell) is shown walking. One of the young women previously seen with prostheic limbs goes past in a wheel chair. The boy who demonstrated removing his socks and shoes rides a specially adapted 'Chopper' style bicycle. There are informal scenes of children in wheel chairs around the hospital gardens and playground. Then there is further footage of a boy demonstrating buttoning his shirt and tying laces without prosthetic aids; he has no hands or fingers. He also demonstrates skill in removing his shoes and socks and then putting them back on again. Another boy shows how he can tie knots with his feet, use a rope as a lasso and comb his hair with his feet. An older boy of 12 with foreshortened arms and legs shows his dexterity; the intertitle indicates that he is 'fully independent'. He reads a comic ('Lion'). He also draws with skill. The same boy plays a game of cricket with two other limb-deficient children.

2 DVDs (41:14 min. each) : silent, colour 1 videocassette (DIGIBETA) (41:14 min.) : silent, colour

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Deformities caused by thalidomide.

Thalidomide kid / by Kate Rigby.

Thalidomide plus 25.

Broken promises.

Only the beginning.

Miscellaneous footage of disabled children. Tape 2.

Prosthetic limbs. Trim.

The disabled century. Part 3, 1970-present.

Contergan : Part 2, The trial.

Thalidomide oral history. Drug companies.

Artificial limbs in Britain.

Contergan : Part 1, One single tablet.

Atravessando fronteiras : talidomida, a impunidade continua / Rosângela Nascimento.

Interview with Dr Ian Fletcher.

Thalidomide 40 years on.

One of them is Brett.

Hetherington, Robert J

Sunday Times Weekly Review. 10 May 1968, The thalidomide file.

The Russian arm.

The adventures of Superhuman ... / Wellcome Collection.

Thalidomide : a second chance?

Look, no hands! : the inspiring story of Brian Gault / with Helena Rogers.

A century of caring. Part 1, The Beginning.

Prosthetic limbs. Children.

Superhuman : exploring human enhancement from 600 BCE to 2050 / Wellcome Collection.

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More filters

Active filters:

Deformities caused by thalidomide.

Thalidomide kid / by Kate Rigby.

Thalidomide plus 25.

Broken promises.

Only the beginning.

Miscellaneous footage of disabled children. Tape 2.

Prosthetic limbs. Trim.

The disabled century. Part 3, 1970-present.

Contergan : Part 2, The trial.

Thalidomide oral history. Drug companies.

Artificial limbs in Britain.

Contergan : Part 1, One single tablet.

Atravessando fronteiras : talidomida, a impunidade continua / Rosângela Nascimento.

Interview with Dr Ian Fletcher.

Thalidomide 40 years on.

One of them is Brett.

Hetherington, Robert J

Sunday Times Weekly Review. 10 May 1968, The thalidomide file.

The Russian arm.

The adventures of Superhuman ... / Wellcome Collection.

Thalidomide : a second chance?

Look, no hands! : the inspiring story of Brian Gault / with Helena Rogers.

A century of caring. Part 1, The Beginning.

Prosthetic limbs. Children.

Superhuman : exploring human enhancement from 600 BCE to 2050 / Wellcome Collection.

Stay in the know

Wellcome collectionWellcome Collection

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Opening times:

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Wellcome collection