I learned about the weirdest historical thing today (1 Viewer)

Ahsoka · 31 October 2025

Tw for gross birth stuff and gross female anatomy stuff? Not too sure how to say it better than that

So in 1726, a lady named Mary Toft in England made international news when she started birthing rabbits. At this time, it was commonly believed by doctors that things you see or experience in pregnancy could affect your unborn child, such as animal encounters. Some pretty well known doctors believed her story, and one attended one of her births (she had many). The rabbits were always skinned and never whole. She was interrogated more by other doctors, when she confessed that it was a hoax. She had had a miscarriage, and her mother in law convinced her to shove rabbit parts into her uterus to trick the doctors. It’s unsure why she agreed or why the mother in law wanted her to. But it became famous for pointing out flaws with the medical system, namely the gullibility of some. She was arrested, but let go in the end because apparently “shoving animal parts into your uterus to trick doctors into thinking you’re birthing animals” wasn’t actually explicitly illegal. Who knew