Drugs and Alcohol It is a well-known and well-researched fact that a pregnant woman drinking alcohol -- or using other substances that are defined as teratogens -- is taking a risk that her baby could be negatively impacted. In fact there are well over a thousand substances that are considered to be teratogens; Purdue University lists 205 teratogens that begin with the letter "A" -- and even more that begin with "B" -- just to give the researcher and idea of how many dangerous substances that expectant mothers should steer clear of (www.purdue.edu). Essentially, teratology is the study of the "causes and biological processes leading to abnormal development and birth defects" -- an important component of teratology research seeks preventative measures (Tandon, et al., 2009).

Alcohol as a frequently ingested teratogen

According to a peer-reviewed article in the journal Eye, teratology has not received the attention that other research issues have received -- for example, genetics has received a great deal of scientific attention and has made a significant contribution to our understanding...

But teratology has been "somewhat neglected," which is unfortunate because mankind has been aware that certain substances do cause malformation of infants for thousands of years, Tandon explains (1269). The Bible warned against drinking wine during pregnancy, Tandon points out; and the iconic physician of ancient India, Charaka, wrote a treatise on "organogenesis during pregnancy that recognized the teratogenic effects of alcohol" (Tandon, 1269).
What are the impacts to the child in the womb when the mother consumes alcohol? The ocular malformations include: "ONH, colobama, nystagmus, cataract, and microphthalmos" (Tandon, 1270). The systemic malformations include: "Mild mental retardation and hyperactivity"; and the possible impacts to one's action mechanism -- "Nerve cell apoptosis" (Tandon, 1269). Hence, it is never a good idea for a pregnant woman to drink even small amounts of alcohol.

On page 1270 the authors point out that foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is the "most extreme manifestation of prenatal alcohol exposure" and…