Especially for Ptarmy: Mary Toft: The woman who gave birth to a litter of rabbit

[Duke Nukum]

The Curious Case of Mary Toft

I found this great podcast called Stuff You Missed in History Class and after listening to a show on 5 historic hoaxes, this one made me think of one of our own members:

In September 1726, news reached the court of King George I of the alleged birth of several rabbits to Mary Toft (1703-1763) of Godalming, near Guildford, in Surrey.

Toft was a twenty-five year old illiterate servant, married to Joshua Toft, a journeyman clothier. According to reports, despite having had a miscarriage just a month earlier in August 1726, Mary had still appeared to be pregnant. On September 27th, she went into labour and was attended initially by her neighbour Mary Gill, and then her mother in law Ann Toft. She gave birth to something resembling a liverless cat.

The family decided to call on the help of Guildford obstetrician John Howard. He visited Mary the next day where he was presented with more animal parts which Ann Toft said she had taken from Mary during the night. The following day, Howard returned and helped deliver yet more animal parts. Over the next month Howard recorded that she began producing a rabbit's head, the legs of a cat, and, in a single day, nine dead baby rabbits.

Anyway, I've listened to a few other episodes and it is a very good podcast. Check it out if you like such things. I listened to this one, The Voynich Manuscript episode, and the one about the other Pope Benedict who resigned. And there are several years worth of topics in the archive.

[vesta111]

The Curious Case of Mary Toft

I found this great podcast called Stuff You Missed in History Class and after listening to a show on 5 historic hoaxes, this one made me think of one of our own members:
Anyway, I've listened to a few other episodes and it is a very good podcast. Check it out if you like such things. I listened to this one, The Voynich Manuscript episode, and the one about the other Pope Benedict who resigned. And there are several years worth of topics in the archive.

Funny story, I wonder where this strange story had it's original conception. Had female midwives been  used instead of male doctors this could never have gotten many legs.

As I understand it, males even doctors were not allowed to see see a woman's privates and had to deliver baby's by feel not sight.   Much like the Muslim world today where woman can only be seen by a woman Doctor or Dentist. 

This reminds me of a saying my Dad had about the looks of my boyfriend,  first was the old 'pecker neck kid' to the 'looks like his mother was chased by a Gorilla when pregnant and the ape caught her'.     

[Duke Nukum]

Funny story, I wonder where this strange story had it's original conception. Had female midwives been  used instead of male doctors this could never have gotten many legs.

As I understand it, males even doctors were not allowed to see see a woman's privates and had to deliver baby's by feel not sight.   Much like the Muslim world today where woman can only be seen by a woman Doctor or Dentist. 

This reminds me of a saying my Dad had about the looks of my boyfriend,  first was the old 'pecker neck kid' to the 'looks like his mother was chased by a Gorilla when pregnant and the ape caught her'.     

Well, I think it is back before the world had rediscovered the Trivium and so had no tools for filtering out BS.

They certainly didn't have medical journals and I am not sure if spontaneous regeneration was the basic belief at this time or if it was earlier or later.