A particularly well-known example in this context is the so-called "grey baby syndrome" first described in 1959: newborn infants treated with the antibiotic chloramphenicol exhibited toxic reactions. Clinical symptoms of this syndrome include inter alia a progressive greying of the skin - hence the name -, a deterioration in circulation and breathing and ultimately the death of the child through respiratory and cardiac arrest. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed that an accumulation of chloramphenicol was occurring in the plasma of neonates due to impaired metabolism of the drug. "Grey baby syndrome" can be avoided by reducing the dose and through careful monitoring of the concentration of the drug in the child's organism.