Learning with Patient Campaigners About a German Drug Scandal.

The West German drug Duogynon is internationally marketed as a "hormone pregnancy test" (HPT) between the 1950s and 1980s. In the late 1960s, it comes under suspicion for inducing miscarriage, spina bifida, and a spectrum of birth defects similar to those caused by the sedative thalidomide. In contrast to thalidomide, medical consensus does not form around the teratogenicity of Duogynon, and many people who identify as Duogynon-affected continue to campaign for recognition. The informal use of Duogynon as an abortion pill adds a further layer of shame, secrecy, and silence. In this article, the value of oral history and the ethics of inclusion are reflected upon within a larger research project that investigates the rise and fall of HPTs, globally. The article asks what collaborating with patient campaigners in a more participatory mode than is typical of archival research can contribute to the historical understanding of the Duogynon affair and other drug scandals.