re: #75 goddamnedfrank

Interesting thing about thalidomide is it’s the classic example of how molecular chirality can drastically impact how a drug works. It was only the S enantiomer, aka the left handed version of the molecule that caused birth defects. Unfortunately the manufacturer didn’t know that at the time nor did they have the ability to selectively produce only the right handed version of the molecule.

Also, point of interest, S stands for Sinister, the Latin term for Left.

Turns out that it wouldn’t matter anyway. Your liver contains an enzyme which interconverts the enantiomers, so even giving one results in a racemic mixture in the body.