Table 1.

Historical events in modern teratology.

Year	Historical event
1905	The first experimentally induced developmental toxicity in mammals. Embryonic lethality induced by X-rays in cats (Tousey).
1921	The first experimentally induced teratogenicity in mammals. Disorders in limbs in pigs induced by lipid diet (Zilva et al.).
1929	The first description of malformations in humans caused by exogenous factors. Microcephalia caused by X-ray irradiation of the pelvis (Goldstein and Murphy).
1935	Recognition of food deficiency leading to malformations in animals. Eye disorders in pigs due to hypovitaminosis A (Hale).
1937	Hormones causing alterations in sexual differentiation in animals. Masculinisation of female foetuses in mice due to the action of androgens (Raynaud).
1941	Report on virus-induced human malformations. Rose-rash induced eye disorders (Gregg).
1944	The first evidence of postnatal effect following prenatal administration of a chemical substance. Decreased learning ability in rats caused by the administration of sodium bromide (Hamilton and Harned).
1948	General recognition of chemically induced teratogenicity. Experiments with alkylating agents (Haskin) and trypan blue (Gillman et al.).
1952	The first report on malformations caused by drugs in humans. Multiple malformations in foetuses caused by aminopterin (Thiersch).
1959	The first report on human malformations induced by environmental pollutants. Disorders of the central nervous system and dentition caused by methyl mercury (Kitamura et al.).
1961	Thalidomide-induced embryopathy

Adapted according to Schardein (1988) Teratological testing: status and issues after two decades of evaluation. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol pp. 1–78.