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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.

Mother’s Marks

In the vast compendium that is Girolamo Cardano’s (1501-1576) Opera Omnia (1663), he discusses a great number of subjects. Cardano, an epitome of the Italian “renaissance man,” asserts that if a pregnant woman has a desire for some food or other want, then when the child is born, they will have a mark on their skin in the form of that desire. These are what were known as “mother’s marks.”

The ideas surrounding mother’s marks evolved over time. At first, the explanation for mother’s marks corresponded to an explanation for how people and animals came to be of a coloration different from that of its/their parents. Before the early modern era, most instances of maternal impression were limited to this sort of impression, one of marking or coloration. In the 16th Century this idea is expanded to include hypertrichosis, excessive hair growth, as well as other “monstrosities.”

This page has paths:

Contents of this path:
2. Monstrosities of a Mother’s Making
4. Modern Science and the Limits of Maternal Impression Many of the ideas and scenarios presented here as examples of maternal impression seem fantastic or even absurd to the modern reader. Indeed, the continuing scientific revolutions of the 20th century, such as those in the field of genetics, did much to dispel the hold of maternal impression on western medicine. However, articles dating to the 1990’s continue to state that, in some cases, maternal impression is a real and literal exchange between a mother and the fetus she carries.

This page references:

Naevus Pigmentosus Naevus pigmentosus, also known as a mole or birthmark, is a usually benign skin disorder in which pigment is over produced. Marks such as this were interpreted as manifestations of a mother's imagination or stimulus. Image of stereo-graphic reference card in MSS 2/360, Collection of dermatological illustrations and photographs, Historical Medical Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.