The fraught history of the word, “teratology”
The field of teratology (also known as dysmorphology) is rapidly growing with daily innovations in prenatal medicine, genetics and preventive care that show its uniquely intersectional nature.
But, the term teratology, and its derivatives teratoma and teratogen — derived from the ancient Greek root teras — do not do justice to the promising future of this field.
I would like to see the field move away from this term for two reasons.
First, …
The fraught history of the word, “teratology”
