Medicine has a long history of recognizing and coping with the unintended consequences of its own developments. Sometimes the detected risks turn out to be real (eg, thalidomide, diethylstilbestrol, weekly rounds of steroids for prematurity), and sometimes a scientific second look quiets the initial furor (eg, silicone implants, immunizations associated with autism). Despite the rich history of medicine's reassessment of the risks of its interventions, it typically remains a difficult and often painful process.
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