ABSTRACT
To dismiss case reports in this manner misses the point. e rst indications of the teratogenicity of thalidomide came in a letter to the Lancet,2 and the rst report of the oculomucocutaneous syndrome with practolol, the rst licensed selective betaadrenoceptor antagonist, was published in the British Medical Journal.3 Vandenbroucke has defended case reports on the grounds that they have permitted the discovery of unexpected benecial and adverse eects of interventions and played a role in the discovery of new diseases and a better understanding of disease mechanisms.4
