Tranquillizers in Pregnancy and Behavioural Effects on the Offspring

Abstract

IN 1964 we¹ reported that we had repeated an experiment “exactly as described by Werboff and Kesner”² and had failed to confirm their reports that the administration of meprobamate to pregnant rats had deleterious effects on the offspring. Shortly afterwards, a report by Hoffeld and Webster³ appeared which also denied that these offspring were deficient in learning ability or body-weight. Werboff⁴ has recently commented on these two papers, emphasizing that alterations in procedure were important in this area of research. In our case, the difference in results was attributed by Werboff to an alteration in dosing procedure whereby our pregnant rats received far less meprobamate than did his own.