A Short Narrative of an Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbets, Perform'd by Mr. John Howard Surgeon at GuilfordSt. André, Nathanael
History
A Short Narrative of an Extraordinary Delivery of Rabbets, Perform'd by Mr. John Howard Surgeon at Guilford
St. André, Nathanael
Factitious disorders; Fraud; Obstetrics -- Early works to 1800; Toft, Mary, 1703-1763
All the Heads which I examined had their compleat number of Teeth, four
cutt before, and ten Grinders on each side, but they appeared not in the
least worn nor stained, as the Teeth of other Rabbets are by Mastication.
The Nails of the Paws were most of them exceedingly sharp.
The Skins were all produced, being dress’d in Allum; they were of several
Colours, as to their Furr, which was considerably long, and in one
particularly (which was the fifth Rabbet,) that part which cover’d the
Head was curled.
The Rabbet which I extracted weigh’d one and twenty ounces _Averdupoize_,
making an allowance for one of the Paws not yet come away, and part of
the _Viscera_ that were lost.
From all these Considerations I was fully convinced, that at the same
time that the external Appearance of these Animals was exactly like
such Creatures, as must inevitably undergo the Changes that happen to
adult Animals, by Food and Air, they carry’d within them the strongest
Marks of _Fœtus’s_, even by such parts as cannot exist in an Adult, and
without which a _Fœtus_ cannot possibly be supposed to live. This, I
think, proves in the strongest Terms possible that these Animals were
of a particular kind, and not bred in a natural Way; nor will there be
any doubt remaining (even with the least knowing in these matters) when
those parts which are subservient to the Circulation of the Blood, and
Nourishment between an adult Creature and its _Fœtus_ are brought away;
which I am fully satisfied must shortly happen, or, if retained, be the
Cause of this Woman’s Death.
All these Facts were verify’d before his Majesty, on _Saturday Nov._ the
26th, by the Anatomical Demonstration of the first, the third, fifth,
and ninth of these Animals, which were compared with the parts of two
natural Rabbets, the one of the Age of four Months, and the other of five
Days, Dr. _Steigerthal_ and Dr. _Tessier_ being present.
I shall with all convenient speed publish the Anatomy of these
Præternatural Rabbets, with their Figures taken from the Life, and
compared with the Parts of Rabbets of the same growth, that the
differences before mention’d may be fully understood.
In the mean while, I shall relate what appeared in the Dissection of
two Rabbets, which I performed in the Presence of Mr. _Molyneux_, the
very Day that we returned from _Guilford_; the one was of four Months
growth, and much of the Size of that which I had taken from the Woman,
the other was barely fifteen Days old. The Lungs of the larger were, as
nearly as I can judge, twenty times bigger in Capacity than those of the
præternatural one, and the Lungs of the smaller were at least eight times
the bigness of the fore-mentioned; both these were exceedingly different,
in Colour and Confidence, from those of the præternatural Rabbet.
The _Foramen Ovale_ of the smaller Rabbet was more than two thirds open,
and that in the larger was so far closed, as but just to admit a very
small Probe.
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