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Further into Imperfecta Living Curiosities: Agency and Exploitation of the Teratological Body Curiosity draws us to the monstrous. But seeing is believing: whether in a book, a museum, or in a show, for centuries people have flocked to see “monsters” for themselves. In the 19th century, many people born with non-normative bodies performed as “freaks” in circus sideshows. Circuses became a sensation and they served as a forerunner to the modern entertainment industry. This exhibit explores the lives of the performers and showmen whose livelihoods depended on the public’s curiosity about seeing wondrous bodies for themselves. Seeing is Believing: Visualizing the Teratological Body When it comes to the wondrous, seeing is believing. From this page, you can explore some of the ways that “monsters” have been depicted over the centuries. Woodcuts in early modern texts, preservation in medical museums, and photography all have been used to display people. These technologies allowed one person’s image to travel across the world and allowed their subjects to “survive” beyond death. What Does It Mean to be "Other?" What does it mean to be a “monster?” What does it mean to be “normal?” These are not objective categories. They have changed meaning throughout history as people have become exposed to a wider diversity of nature, people, and ideas. From this path, you can explore some types of “Otherness” that have, throughout history, challenged apparently objective categories and shaped the direction of science.

Figure du Rhinoceros armé du toutes pieces

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What Does It Mean to be "Natural?" In the early modern period, monsters were often interpreted as “portents.” This meant monsters were a sign from God that something was going to happen or that society needed to change its course. This is why monsters were so terrifying - they were supernatural messages. But “supernatural” means “outside of nature.”

However, not all monsters were monstrous births witnessed by physicians. Ambroise Paré (1510?-1590) also tells of monstrous animals, some of which are familiar to us today (the rhinoceros) and many of which are not. The early modern period, when many texts with woodcuts of monsters were circulated, such as Paré's, was also an intense time of global exploration. This meant that “nature” was expanding dramatically. Ships arriving to the New World of Africa brought back animals, plants, and people that defied easy belief. As a modern reader looking back at early texts with their unbelievable woodcuts of monsters, we must try to imagine what it must have been like during this time of exploration and discovery.

Were monsters truly “outside of nature?”

Most physicians did not think so. They believed that monsters were important messages from God, but they also believed that God was working through the laws of nature to produce these "mira." Not miracles, but mira— wonders. But physicians did not yet have a clear understanding of how humans developed in the womb. They could not say for certain what natural laws God was working through. Were monsters natural or unnatural? This was a challenging question to answer when no one understood what the “natural” course of gestation was. The answers to these questions were greatly aided by the development of anatomical preservations in 18th century medical museums. Physicians could preserve fetuses at various stages of development and, through observation, determine the natural laws of human development.