The medical profession and congenital malformations (1900-1979).

Physicians' interest in congenital malformations has varied greatly during the last two centuries. After an acme in the 19th century, teratology was of little inteerest to the medical profession during the first four decades of the 20th century. Since then a variety of events have again made birth defects important. An attempt is made to explain the waxing and waning of the physicians' attention to this age-old problem.